#and indeed i think that intense focus has meant she needs more time to develop without the spotlight on her

[utilitycaster]

apropos of the question I got yesterday re: Orym and some of the things I said in response, truly, I advise throwing out the idea that arcs within a Critical Role campaign are contained series of episodes dedicated to one character specifically. I think this might be a lingering hangover of the Briarwoods, but again, even the Briarwoods, while very much about Percy, was considered the point when the show got really good for a huge number of other reasons including the fact that those episodes are standout episodes for the entire party. It's also, to be honest, an arc about Percy, but Percy's character arc essentially begins there rather than is contained to those 8 episodes. The way to have an arc like the Briarwoods is really only to have a backstory and end goal that requires it, and not all cast members tend towards that in their character creation! But also if you can't look at a character like (for example) Vex or Beau, who didn't have as clear a self-contained series of episodes about them, and still see an incredible character arc with no shortage of standout episodes and moments, then I think you're clinging too hard to the idea that arc = Briarwoods and not arc = the journey that specific character takes.

[bonjour-rainycity]

Double Heart | Chapter Fourteen ~ Haldir

|previous part|

Rating: PG-13

Word count: 1754

Warnings: TW -- mentions of illness

**Read on Ao3 under the user “bonjour_rainycity” if you prefer!**

A/n Can I just say, that I TRULY believe I have some of the best readers in the entire world? Each of you is so kind, so encouraging, and you take time out of your day to read this story!! Thank you, each and every one of you, so, so much! 

Immediately after leaving Cosima’s room, I seek out Baranor. I don’t want to leave her alone and must find a task to calm my mind. Though Cosima sounded sure of her ailment being non-severe, humans are so fragile. What if she were to sway like she did earlier but didn’t have me there to catch her? She could fall to the stone floor and crack her head open.

I freeze. Should I go back?

No. I stop myself. She said she would be fine, I have to respect that. Besides, I sigh, focusing on the bigger picture. I can check on her tomorrow. In the meantime, Baranor might have insight.

It’s still early, only five o’clock or so, and Baranor is exactly where I expect him to be — the healing wards. Like me, his is not prone to taking an extended period without work.

He sees me coming and greets me with a smile, passing along a small jar to another healer clothed in a robe of pale green. “We’re attempting to develop a new salve for burns,” he explains. “What brings you to the healing wards?”

I sigh, suddenly feeling exhausted under the stress of the last twenty minutes. So much could have gone wrong. “Cosima.”

Baranor’s brow furrows in concern and he directs me to what looks to be an extra office loaned to him — it’s already covered in his belongings and notes. He sits in the oversized chair behind the desk, clasping his hands in front of him. “What happened?”

I practically sink into the chair across from him. “We agreed to meet this evening in her room so I could begin to teach her self-defense. She seemed fine when I arrived — her usual personality, bright eyes, didn’t seem tired. One second she was laughing, and the next, gasping in pain. I-I mean, Baranor, you should have seen it.” I gulp at the memory, reliving the moment Cosima’s condition shifted. “All the life left her face and she swayed like she was going to faint. I caught her and sat her on the couch but she pitched forward and nearly vomited. She said she had a headache. When the sickness and pain faded enough for her to open her eyes, she looked absolutely exhausted. She said she wants to rest so I left her room and came straight here.”

Baranor nods, looking calm. “How long did the episode last?”

I concentrate on the memory, though everything in me wants to shy away. “Maybe three minutes?”

Baranor dips his head as if expecting this. “Humans are much more fragile than elves—you know this. If they do not sleep enough or get proper nutrients, they can become susceptible to headaches and mild sicknesses — even stress can have that effect on them. Sometimes headaches can be severe, in which case they are called migraines and usually come with nausea, dizziness, and more intense pain.”

My eyes widen. That’s terrifying. Such normal things that wouldn’t do much to an elf — stress, inadequate sleep, water, food — can incapacitate a human. How much more vulnerable to serious circumstances they must be — injury, for instance.

But Baranor only looks infuriatingly serene. I have to remind myself that he encounters things like this every day, even if he does typically treat ellyn. Mild fluctuations in health do not alarm him because he knows how they are likely to turn out and how to threat a patient if their health declines further.

“I will check on her in the morning after she’s had time to rest, but do not worry, mellon nîn. This is just something that happens to humans from time to time.”

I take a deep breath, leaning against the back of the chair. “Alright. Thank you. I’m sorry to burst in on your work.”

He waves off my apology. But, after a pause, he grimaces.

My stomach sinks. “What?”

He speaks much too slowly for my liking. “I do not want to alarm you, but there’s a chance Elrond might mention something to you or your brothers, and I’d rather you hear it from me so you are not caught off guard.”

I feel my eyes widening and attempt to reign in my expression. “What, Baranor?”

He sighs. “When we first encountered Cosima, she was as good as dead. Her fæ was so far gone, I had to expend serious energy calling her back. I…I had hoped that because she had actually made the choice to wake up that she would acclimate well—make a full recovery. When I dealt with her arm after the attack, I again used the power in my fæ to heal her. I noticed that there is still something…‘off’ in her own fæ.”

I feel my jaw lock. A roaring rushes through my ears. “Off?”

“Yes,” Baranor nods steadily. “Alex’s is the same way. Both the human spirits seem…torn, almost, or wounded. Like I said, ‘off’. I spoke to Elrond and he has agreed to work with them both. He believes their memory loss could related to the injuries in their fæs and, as we heal their memories, their fæs will repair themselves. Our working theory is that the memory loss is so severe it has caused the fæ to forget, almost like the memories were violently cut out of it. I do not know what that means but I think it likely originated when they arrived in this world, possibly before when they somehow transferred from their world to ours — it’s logical to think that had some impact on their fæs.”

I exhale slowly, taking all this information in.

It is alarming, to say the least.

A fæ should not be damaged…it could cause an elf to fade.

But humans are different, I reason. The health of their spirits isn’t tied to their longevity. Well — I have to correct myself. Maybe it is and humans just don’t live long enough to know for sure. I try to turn my focus back to Baranor — these worrisome thoughts are not helpful. “Do you believe this poses a threat to them?”

Baranor grimaces. “I cannot say for sure, but my instinct is that it’s not as long as they receive proper care — almost a physical therapy of sort, but for their fæs. Again, I would not have bothered you with this if I didn’t think Elrond might bring it up.”

I set him with a stern look. “Any information about the health of those in my care is of concern to me. I ask that you keep me updated.”

He bows his head. “Of course.”

I stand, feeling like I need sleep but knowing my mind is racing too much to do so. I say farewell to my friend and catch an attendant on the way to my room, requesting that dinner be sent to my chambers. I don’t feel like eating in the company of the hall. Part of me wonders if I should have the attendant take food to Cosima, just in case she’s decided she’s hungry, but I remind myself that she is perfectly capable of requesting her own dinner. If she wishes to eat, she can arrange it.

That doesn’t stop me from tucking away a banana and some bread just in case she hasn’t eaten by the time I visit her tomorrow. Proper nutrients, enough rest, sufficient hydration, and low stress.

Right as I cut into dinner, Rumil swaggers in with a plate of his own. He snorts, joining me at the small table. “Great minds, huh?” He leans towards me, furrowing his brow and studying me more intently. “Are you alright? You look pale.”

I roll my eyes, trying to cover my anxiety. “I’m always pale.”

Rumil huffs. “Come on, what’s bothering you?”

I sigh. Rumil is probably going to hear it from Elrond or Baranor anyway, so I may as well tell him. I start from the beginning. “I visited Cosima this evening.” Rumil sits back in his chair, a strange look in his eye. Could he already know? How? “I meant to teach her to defend herself, but not long after I arrived, she—she just got sick. Within a moment’s difference, she was nearly collapsed on the floor.” I shake my head against the memories but dutifully recount the full story to my brother, including Baranor’s observations and theory.

By the end, Rumil slumps in his seat, staring over my shoulder with a distant look in his eye. He’s silent for a long time.

“Haldir I…I owe you an apology. Cosima, too, though I don’t think she’d understand why.”

I furrow my eyebrows. What could he be sorry for?

“I’ve been teasing you both lately and have been encouraging your feelings for each other. It was wrong of me — I didn’t consider her mortality and what pursing a relationship with her would mean. I won’t do it anymore, I promise. Can you forgive me?”

I blink. What? “I don’t have feelings for her.”

Rumil sets me with a dubious look. “I’m your brother, you can be honest with me.”

“I don’t have feelings for her,” I repeat, more forcefully this time. Rumil’s being ridiculous. And the youngest of my brothers — his age is showing.

He huffs, looking to the ceiling as if to request strength from the Valar. “Are you really so unaware of yourself? Of her?” At my look of annoyance, he groans, seeming like he wants to push it. I set my shoulders, making it clear that we will be discussing this no further.

Finally, Rumil shakes his head, turning his gaze to his meal. “Fine, I am sorry, I can see I’ve overstepped my bounds. Forget it.”

I return to my food, watching my brother warily. His shoulders sag and he looks almost…scared. His distress is apparent, even if his accusations are baseless. He brings his eyes back to mine and the grief there causes me to freeze. What is going on with my brother?

“But Haldir…Be careful. She will be dead long before this age is done, and that is if she chooses to stay in this world.”

My fork falls to my plate.

A hollow, aching feeling makes my chest feel tight.

I don’t even know what to say to that.

Rumil stands and places a hand on my shoulder, squeezing briefly. Then, he makes for the exit. “I will leave you to your thoughts.”

And then he closes the door behind him and I am indeed alone with these terrifying thoughts.

A/n This one is shorter than the others I’ve posted, but I feel like it’s kinda dense and it was a good place to leave off. Thanks for reading! Likes, comments, and reblogs make my day! Also, if you have any thoughts/theories, I would love to know those! @eru-vande sent me one the other day and it was really fun!

|next part|

|masterlist|

Tolkien tag list: @anangelwhodidntfall @eru-vande

Haldir tag list: @tolkien-apologist

Double Heart tag list: @lainphotography @themerriweathermage @thophil2941btw @kenobiguacamole @wishingtobeinadifferentuniverse @from-patroclus-with-love @boywivlove @ordinarymom1 @my-darling-haldir @sweet-bea-blossom @moony-artnstuff

[eleutheramina]

Jack Atlas Analysis - Part 2

Who is FC arc Jack?

How about DS arc Jack? - here

How could the DS arc have done better with regards to Jack?

Part 2: How about DS arc Jack?

DS!Jack is certainly in a much different situation that FC!Jack, and I think the line between character derailment and character development can be hard to draw sometimes. There are some who would argue that the change of lead from Tomioka to Yoshida does change him into a different character, but again, I don’t wholly agree with that. I actually am pretty fine with his characterization for most of the arc. I’m not going to touch on Team Satisfaction and how that retroactively affects Jack’s character because that’s a whole can of worms I don’t care to open. 

So who is DS!Jack? Well, he no longer holds his King title, he is definitely not unbeatable, and his Satellite origins are revealed to the public. He spends the first couple of the episodes unconscious, the third in the hospital with a broken arm. FC!Jack would probably think DS!Jack is pathetic and a disgrace. 

Less of Jack’s Internal Monologue More than how he’s characterized himself, I think one of the more subtle but significant differences about DS!Jack is how his personality is conveyed to the audience. Whereas FC!Jack has a decent amount of moments of internal monologue, I feel like there’s relatively little of Jack’s internal monologue for most of the DS arc. This, I think, contributes to why DS!Jack feels different than FC!Jack even right off the bat. Not to say FC!Jack doesn’t also convey a lot about Jack through his body language, actions, or dialogue, but I think how DS!Jack is characterized relies on it more heavily.

For instance, we don’t get much (or really, any) internal monologue about Jack’s feelings about his loss. Jack’s first action in the DS arc is to knock down a vase in anger because of his Satellite background being revealed; he also reacts similarly angrily when it makes the headlines in episode 31, paired with a flashback of his defeat and Yusei’s words about his pride of being a King, as well as when he hears his fans’ cheers and imagines Yusei’s face very heterosexually in the fountain. 

Both the reason for and the impact of not knowing a lot of Jack’s thoughts regarding his loss is, I think, that the audience mainly has Carly’s perspective on him, especially in episode 31. I think this contributes to the foreignness of DS!Jack--after all, Carly did not exist in the FC arc and we as an audience are not used to her perspective on Jack being the primary way we know him. I don’t say this as necessarily a good or bad thing, just to be clear. 

Right at the beginning of the DS arc, Carly is introduced and given an amount of protagonist-like focus to rival Yusei’s, especially notable since she does not initially have any clear connections with any of the other established characters (unlike Crow, who gets a comparable amount of focus but is retconned into being revealed to have been friends with Yusei and Jack). 

Unlike Jack, Carly does get both internal and external monologues, and the amusement park plot of episode 31 is primarily from Carly’s perspective. She doesn’t know where Jack is trying to go or what Jack’s intentions are for 90% of the episode, and so neither does the audience, and only when she figures it out do we know that he’s heading to the tower. We don’t get to hear Jack mourn his loss of his Kingship when he’s staring at the fountain; it’s Carly who narrates his hurt for us. 

This is especially clear with this shot:

Carly is literally looking at the audience during her internal monologue, suggesting she’s talking to us. Also lowkey this line is funny in hindsight because like she does melt his heart later. 

Even while they’re watching Kiryu and Yusei’s duel, or even in episode 37, we basically don’t get anything about what Jack thinks. We only get what he says to Carly or Mikage (most of which is exposition about Zero Reverse or Team Satisfaction), or Carly’s perception of him. 

Jack’s Relationship with Carly Jack’s initial interactions with Carly feel fairly in-character to me. He’s pretty indifferent to her initially, but if Jack is someone who evaluates people based on their merit, I think the moment when Carly defends him from a blast is when she overcomes the threshold to be worthy of some respect by Jack. And even then, he continues to seem either indifferent or annoyed by her--he initially leaves her apartment without any notice, he gets fed up with her antics to get a scoop from him, and he leaves her at the park and does what he’d originally set out to do. Even after the scene at the tower at the end of 31, he continues to not show much warmth to her at all for the remainder of their interactions before she becomes a DS. 

The impact of the scarcity of internal monologues for DS!Jack is that the development of Jack’s feelings for Carly is kept under wraps for most of the arc. FC!Jack has copious monologues about his being King, etc. As for DS!Jack? Well at one point, he thinks, “What I need to protect” when staring at Carly’s glasses. . . and that’s basically it as far as what Jack thinks about Carly.

The rest is conveyed through Jack staring at her glasses a lot--often paired with or commented on by Mikage, which helps put what he’s doing in a more explicitly romantic light--and conversations with Mikage. Indeed, we only fully understand his motivation when Mikage asks him directly why he’s going to Satellite. Contrast with FC!Jack whose motivation is clear from the beginning and which we hear from his own words. 

Now, I think having Jack’s feelings be mostly beneath the surface is a smart move; in hindsight, it’s pretty clear that he has feelings for Carly, but because they are not overstated, Jack doesn’t seem too lovesick or sentimental in a way that would definitely feel out of character. Rushed Relationship Development Even the most ardent of Scoopshippers can probably agree that the leap Jack and Carly’s relationship takes is a large one. In their duel, it is beyond clear that Jack is extremely in love with her, extremely considerate of her wellbeing, her feelings, her desires, and willing to die with her, and Carly’s feelings are of similar intensity. 

Now, I do think we see that Carly as a character understands and pushes Jack in ways other characters don’t, and in a way that I can imagine Jack eventually also comes to reciprocate. 

But ultimately the relationship itself is quite rushed and the two lack actual quality time together on screen. The scene where Carly is imagining Jack in her apartment and crying about things he took from her helps in creating the illusion that they spent a lot of time together and were able to get close--but ultimately, we don’t get to see much of that on screen, and I think that’s probably the biggest weakness of this subplot. Suggested interactions don’t make up for onscreen interactions, especially when it comes to moving characters from feeling lukewarm about one another to the passion and commitment that Jack and Carly display in their duel. The scenes from episode 29 and episode 31 get references in flashbacks a lot later in the arc--and while they’re certainly shiptastic, they don’t feel commensurate to the intensity of their feelings for one another later.  

Of course, I imagine part of this is because, at its core, YGO is not a romance anime, and the DS arc just really needed to move the plot along. Kiryu and Yusei’s duel, and Jack’s subsequent leaving of Carly, starts in the episode right after the tower scene. The writers needed Jack/Carly’s relationship to go from point A to point B as efficiently as possible. 

Part of the drama/mystery of the Jack/Carly plot is that the audience isn’t fully sure what Jack feels until the duel itself, even though it’s hinted that he cares for her; Jack’s confession of love comes as somewhat of a surprise. But I think this also meant that we did not get to see a lot of the moments of them caring about each other on screen. And I also think that it’s possible to increase their onscreen interactions and make their bonding more obvious without sacrificing too much of the mystery surrounding Jack’s real feelings. Continuity With FC!Jack One thing I do think the DS arc does well is articulating Jack’s FC character pretty accurately and continuing his arc with similar themes/ideas. “Change Destiny” is a really heavy-handed card, but I do think that the idea of Jack believing he is destined to be King or walk on the path of the King, and then abandoning that concept entirely for a path he makes himself, is consistent with FC!Jack’s doggedness in being King and the way Godwin/Jaeger talk about it as something he’s meant to be.

Although the execution was not great, I think the idea of Jack being tempted by the idea of being a Dark King - one who “needs not friends, bonds,” and rules over the whole world turned into hell, is an extreme version of the loner king who abandons friends for something better, as Jack did

Similarly, the idea of a real King that Carly hopes Jack will become in episode 59, though cheesy, does expand on the idea of him being a King in a way that is also consistent with not being a loner/gaining bonds. When Jack calls himself “a person who would never give a thought to others... willing enough to betray and hurt [his] friends, sacrificing any and all for [his] own ambitions” — I think that’s spot on who Jack is in the FC arc. 

And Godwin and Jack’s dramatic exchange during their duel at the end of episode 63 about the only way to being a King is being alone, about how Jack abandoned bonds — that’s pretty congruent with FC Jack. And having Jack say that he also abandoned being the King, when his attachment to being the King was the cornerstone of his character before, is an effective move in terms of rounding out his character arc. The other biggest flaw with Jack in the DS arc is that we don’t see him struggle more with abandoning that identity.

In fact, DS!Jack spends a lot less time angsting talking about being the King--which again, makes some sense because he lost the FC and the focus of the story shifts/expands to be more about the Signer vs Dark Signer conflict. If it is brought up, it’s mostly to emphasize that he’s not the King anymore, such as when he corrects Mikage about calling him King in episode 32, or when he calls that man “a different person” to Godwin in episode 42. 

Jack feels notably less condescending and egoistical in the DS arc, even from the very beginning. Part of this can be explained away by the fact that he is no longer in the settings in which his ego can shine the most--the Duel Stadium, or his mansion--and therefore doesn’t really have that many people to look down on anymore. I also think part of it is because, due to the lack of internal monologue (and the use of Carly as a viewpoint character), we don’t hear his thoughts as often, disparaging or not. 

The most we see of the condescending Jack is probably in episode 43, when he beats up Yusei when he’s upset about having to fight Kiryu. It’s also the main time we see Jack talk about how he feels about losing his title - he says Yusei “dragged [him] off his throne and gave [him] such disgrace.” Here we see how this aspect of Jack, rather than mostly serving to make him look cruel as it had in the FC arc, actually helps to challenge Yusei’s character. Indeed, in general we see Jack is more supportive of Yusei. We also see a bit of Jack’s old boastfulness when he says that “Your Earthbound Gods aren’t so great” and saves Martha’s kids in episode 46. 

Jack also doesn’t push other people away as much in the DS arc, though he definitely still does at some points. When Mikage tries to draw closer to him, he ultimately rebuffs her. Even Carly initially leaves without much thought and brushes her off when she first tries to talk to him. When Yusei’s talking about his nakama in episode 45, it’s Jack who says he’s not anyone’s friend. Jack is also arguably the most closed off from the other Signers. No one knows who he’s dueling, and he’s the only Signer to not have anyone watching his duel. 

Yet he also more openly cares about other people. Yusei’s injury in episode 35 gives him great concern for him that honestly he doesn’t show Yusei much during the FC. We are shown Jack’s old caregiver, Martha, whom he clearly cares for. And of course, there’s Carly. 

Finally, Jack has more moments of generic heroism in the DS arc, whereas in the FC he basically has none. He goes into the crumbling Arcadia Movement to save Aki, and he also dramatically saves the orphans from being sacrificed to the Earthbound God Uru. Whereas Jack could be said to be one of the antagonists of the FC arc, he certainly is portrayed as more of a protagonist in the DS arc, when the grander Signer-Dark Signer conflict plays out. 

[saikagerights]

A New Possession- Entry #10

Hello once again Saiino nation!

I'm back again after a few days with my next entry, this one being a whopping 1k words. It's been a while since I wrote an entry of this magnitude. It also covers a personal hc that I have a large connection to.

I had the weekend off of work, but this upcoming week is going to be rather busy, so I am not sure how that will affect my entries. There has also been a plot bunny that has cropped up in my mind. The catch is that it really doesn't have a plot, only small drabbles that revolve around one concept that I might put together into a small fic if I have enough inspiration, so be on the lookout for that.

Anyway I hope you enjoy this one!

Also available on AO3

February 8th

Sakura enjoys talking about her work overseeing the therapy center. It’s been the main focus of some of our most recent conversations. She had explained in enormous detail about the amount of work her and Ino had done to establish the center, and it shocked me that it was accomplished by only two people with very little assistance. Their personal mission to rehabilitate struggling youth had been a commendable one, as well as being something I personally connected to.

As someone who’s youth was affected by the hands of shinobi, I naturally empathize with many children who find themselves patients in the therapy center, and identify with their paths towards healing.

Especially now

Sakura had soon approached me regarding the treatment of 37 children that were once a part of ROOT’s training program, lamenting over their progress.

“We haven’t made any progress. The specialists are at their wits end.”

Sakura looked completely drained. Between lending her services at the hospital and opening the therapy center, Sakura had been difficult to reach. Ino had mentioned how much she had been working recently and how she constantly tried to “drag her ass out of her office just for a few minutes”. I couldn’t help but sympathize with her

“Well, it’s very hard to trust others when you were trained to trust no one to begin with. It will take time for them to open up, but they will eventually.” I tried to give her my most endearing smile to encourage her. She didn’t meet my eyes, but I watched a sad smile grace her face “Sai, that’s some really good advice.” Suddenly her head raised, a wild grin spread wide across her face. “Sai! You should speak to these kids! You know how to connect to their struggle, this could help them!”

The thought of counseling set panic into my mind. I’m far from being a professional. I hardly know how to speak casually with friends, how would I be able to give advice to a group of children?

How could I help these kids when I have hardly helped myself?

I tried to convey this to Sakura, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. “You would be fine. You would be accompanied by a specialist of course, so it’s not as if you’d be alone.” I wouldn’t be able to change her mind when she was so convinced.

“Please just consider it, Sai. You could really change the lives of these children.”

I couldn’t help but assume that Sakura had specifically fabricated that conversation to try and persuade me to lend my services. It’s not as if I didn’t want to help them. I am just not sure I am the right person to help them. Although I understand their pain, I don’t think it is my place to tell them how to use their newfound freedom. Sakura had also suggested that my Choujuu Giga could assist me, but I waved that idea off. I have used my ninjutsu to entertain children before, but ROOT children are not raised to be enthused by some drawings.

This afternoon, I visited the center to gauge the situation for myself. I was informed by one of the center’s hired professionals that the children were separated into two groups for their treatment. The group of children still paired with their siblings, and the group of children that had been admitted alone. They received different forms of treatment, but were kept on the same floor together. Siblings roomed together while those isolated were paired off to try and stimulate a new bond for them. I was told of one older boy that had refused this arrangement and roomed alone.

The specialist that showed me around handed me a clip board with the roster of children. It listed their approximate age, blood type, and chosen name. When they had first arrived, they were given the option to select a name for them to be addressed as. I was told that many of them selected previous code names they had once been given by Danzo-sama.

During the day, all of the children were coaxed into a large room with various amenities for them to pass the time as they awaited individual talk therapy sessions. Supposedly they were anti-social, never speaking a word to any of the therapists.  

“We aren’t even sure if they speak to each other”. The specialist guided me down the hall. I had hardly spoken a word to her, part of me wanting to listen, but another part of me trying to get a hold of my thoughts as my mind drifted in and out of focus. -but from what Haruno-senei has told me about you, it seems that there may be hope for them.”

Grabbing my attention with her words, I couldn’t contain the smile I gave her. “I hope that’s true.”

Entering the room, I suddenly felt 37 pairs of eyes trained on me as if I were a target. The gazes were intense regardless of how empty they looked. I couldn’t help but wonder if this is how I appeared to others when my allegiance was still with ROOT.

Do I still look like that?

Observing the room, the children were scattered, keeping a safe distance from each other. This of course excluded the sibling groups that were compacted together. I suddenly remembered hearing that when they had learned of ROOT’s barbaric trial, those who had nearly lost their close comrade had experienced issues with separation. They rarely were seen apart from one another.

My eyes then drifted to the children who sat alone, lost and empty without the one they knew more than anyone, even themselves. The one they once devoted their life to, but in an act of survival, had to give up that very life to appease the command of their master. Similar to me in most ways.

“Children, there is someone here who wishes to meet you.”

The voice of the specialist was gentle, but it was sharp enough to pierce the silent air. It seems my research of vocal inflection has paid off, because I had noticed how the word “children” was stressed more than the others for the benefit of reminding them that they were indeed still children.

She received no verbal response from them, but I had figured they were well aware of my presence as they were still glaring straight at me.

“This is Sai.” She gestured to me. “He was also once from ROOT like you.”

Now that more attention was brought to me, I raised my hand in greeting, cocking my head to one side and trying to smile as genuinely as possible.

Though it doesn’t really matter how convincing it was, I seriously doubted they would be capable of distinguishing it. I felt the need to swallow when I allowed my eyes to slip open and realized that there had been no noticeable reaction.

I spent the rest of my time at the center in a quiet conversation with the specialist regarding future visitation. She also apologized to me about the atmosphere, saying that it has frightened a few of the other therapists.

I’m not going to say that I was afraid of a group of children, but a certain feeling set into me then that I believed to be nervousness. Yes, the therapists and staff at the center wanted this group of children to remember how old they really are, but from experience that is very difficult to remember who you once were when it is drilled into your mind that your existence is meant for the will of another.

I lag behind my own peers in “life experience”, since most of my life was spent existing through the control of Danzo-sama rather than living. But now I can say with certainty that I have the potential to live like any other man from this point onward. And these children have a better chance than me of achieving that. They just need the proper guidance and a few good friends to help them along.

As I read this back to myself, it seems like perhaps I could be cut out for this sort of thing, but I might need a little more “life experience” before I can be more successful.

Thanks for reading! I hope you want more from this, because I will follow this up for sure. I just need some fluff in between before I can add onto it.

I personally enjoy getting to talk about ROOT because I feel like I can really get into Sai's head because of it. Alas, it is very difficult to provide information for a group that was hardly elaborated on within the source material, so all I can do is provide little bits and pieces. I think this storyline will be able to satisfy this for me. Another thing I like about this hc is that we do see Sai in Boruto successfully lending guidance to people like Sumire, that had their lives controlled by the will of ROOT. It also shows off Sai's development as a character perfectly, effectively being the reason why I like the first arc of Boruto so much.

Anyway, I hope you guys are looking forward for more, because I will give you more. I don't know what is coming up next, but I do have a bit of an idea. And as always, comments and criticism are appreciated

Until next time -Saikage

[starswordartblog]

Two hours late but given how college is going I’m surprised I wrote it at all. For @oc-growth-and-development​‘s OCtober prompts, day 30: Flight.

This was not meant as a sequel to day 13 and happens years after day 13′s piece, but it kinda works as a sequel to that.

"U.F.O.?" Moira asked, looking at the newspaper Uni had come to show her.

"Yeah, isn't it funny?" he said, "They say here it stands for 'Unidentified Flying Object', because that city has this big observatory to take pictures of the sky, and they got a pic of me and Nathan flying over!"

Moira looked down at the picture he pointed on the page. It was nothing but a blur of red and blue across the sky. Moira didn't know how Picture Magic worked, but she knew how fast Uni had become from training his magic for years. It wasn't surprising that the image didn't get them well, but why even report such a thing then?

"I guess that city doesn't see mages very often," she mused.

"Yeah, there were a lot of weirdos there too," Nathan joined in the conversation, "we stopped by and a bunch were running to the woods to chase the mystery or something. Uni was floating right there! I tried to explain it was him!"

"Well, I was out of power so I couldn't prove I can be that fast," Uni said, lightly tapping his brother's shoulder to calm him down. Because Uni had barely grown since childhood, he had to float a bit higher to do that. "I don't get why they were convinced it had to be a big ship though. How would a ship fly in the sky?"

Moira raised an eyebrow at him. "You are a fish and fly in the sky, don't you?"

"Exactly, and that's just me!" He made a pretentious pose in the air with a hand on his puffed out chest. "I'm a Unique Fish Object."

Her eyebrow twitched. "You're okay being an object then?"

"I'll allow it," he waved his other hand, nose still upwards in the goofiest image of pride. Then he broke the pose to float closer to her with an excited smile. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about! You name your spells, right?"

"Oh? Yeah, everyone does it, right?" Her sister had encouraged her to do it to make it easier to learn and remember them, and also to keep her knowledge organized. But never the studious one, Moira cared most about finding fun or pretty names.

"Yeah, but a lot of people pick names from their tutor, or family, or whoever they studied it from. Nathan got most of his from his dad, but they don't really work for me."

"Hey, I already said they do," Nathan interrupted, "Ultimate Fire Magic has a U and a F, we just gotta find an O to put on it!"

"Yeah, but a lot of your spells have 'Elemental' or something like that on them, I can't do that, mine can't have an E!"

"Fine," Nathan crossed his arms. "You think Olemental is a name?"

"You can't just shove O's into any word..." Uni frowned.

"Of course I can, we need them, don't we?"

"See, that's why I knew we would need Moira's help."

"Wait, wait, waiiiiit," Moira finally jumped in the conversation again, shaking her arms to get the boys' attention. "I, I got totally lost on this! I can help you think names for your spells, but why do you need O's and E's and all this letter stuff? I didn't get it."

"The U.F.O. thing," Nathan explained. "We thought it was funny so we want all his spells to have these letters too. It's gonna be like, U.F.O Magic."

"It can be Unique Fish Object, Ultimate Flying Object, and a bunch of other things!" Uni added, "Isn't it nice to have a name that means a lot?"

"In all of those you're still an object," Moira sighed, but with a smile. "But you're right, it's a great name for you. It's gonna be hard to find words for all spells though, shouldn't you guys ask someone smarter?"

"No way, it has to be you!" said Nathan, holding her tight by the shoulders, "You're our best friend, and you're smart, you taught Uni to talk more than me, right?"

"I..." She couldn't help but blush at his sudden touch and how intensely he stared her right in the eye. Normally that's where she would tease him about being "totally into her", but she was the one flustered this time so it wouldn't be fair to make fun of him for that, right? "A, alright, I'll do my best then!"

"That's the spirit!" he grinned and squeezed her harder before letting go. It hurt in the way a bone breaking hug does.

"Uh, by the way, how many spells do you even have, Uni?" Moira asked as they sat in the park, after borrowing the biggest dictionary Nathan could find in the library. "You usually just fly, or make Nathan fly."

"Oh, there's a new one but we should save it for the end," he said, and Nathan's face lightened up immediately, but he didn't say anything. "Everyone also says swimming is a different thing, but to me they're the same."

"Yeah, I think that's just how your magic is," Nathan added, "that's the fun of the Flying-Fish F. But it isn't a spell I think, you don't cast anything on yourself. It's like how my magic makes me immune to fire without me having to do anything. It just counts as a spell if you decide to manipulate your magical power in some way." He lit his hand on fire. "Like this, or this," he continued on, lightning a tiny fireball and then other and others and making them dance around in the air.

"You always know a lot about this," Moira praised. "So Uni flies naturally and breathes in water naturally... well, he's part fish, maybe it would be weirder if he didn't. I guess I never thought about it because I don't have anything like that."

"Is that so? Usually there's always something, that's why it's dangerous for a mage to lose their magic," Nathan said. "Never mind that, though! Uni still has spells," he hastily changed subjects as he always did after talking about dangerous things, "giving other people flight is a spell for you, right?"

Uni nodded, "Yeah, that takes way more effort than flying, and I can't do it if the person doesn't want to," he started pointing at random strangers, and Moira could feel a weak flow of magic from him, "it's a pain, I really wanted to prank people."

Nathan ruffled his hair. "Don't worry man, I'm sure one day we'll do it."

"No, please don't," Moira said, "the townspeople here are used to magic but that doesn't mean they'll be okay with getting hit by one. Let's save that for our fellow mages I guess, that would be funny."

"That's exactly what Nathan wanted, yeah," Uni said, and his brother's grin did confirm it.

"Okay, we'll be here all day if we keep getting distracted,” she said. “We need to name your spell. The F part is easy, you have ideas for the rest?"

They stood in silence for a moment. Uni then flicked a finger in Nathan's direction and he began to fly around.

"Got something?" Uni asked him.

"Not yet, but I knew you were gonna do that before you did. Your magic really connects people, huh."

"Connect has a C, Nathan, we can't have that."

"I'm trying okay, there has to be a similar word! Connection, link, bond... Union! There, see, I found one!"

"Oh, you really did it!" Uni celebrated throwing his arms up in the air. Union Flying Object... that still doesn't make sense though."

"The, the spells are objects too...?" Moira questioned. "But, United by Flight sounds nice, doesn't it? We'd just need an O now."

"Oh, nice one, Moira!" Nathan said. "Couldn't we do something with 'over'? Since we go over stuff when flying. And there's a bunch of words that start with over, overflow, overwhelm, over..."

"Overdid it, it's what you say when I make you go too fast."

"Yeah, let's not talk abou- AAAAAAAAaaaaaaa...!" with a flick of Uni's fingers he was sent upwards at great speed.

"You're so mean," Moira said, but she was smiling.

"Oh, he'll live." Uni shrugged. "My magic lets me raise speed the more someone trusts me. Only Nathan can go that fast, so he's okay with it. He'll just have to get back at me later."

"Ah, brothers..." She wouldn't say it out loud, but she did relate to wanting to have some fun with your overpowered, prideful older sibling.

The overpowered, prideful older sibling landed back hot with fury, a phrase more literal than usual with Nathan. "I'll kill you," he growled.

"None of those start with O's, Nathan, let's stay focused," Moira joked, hoping they wouldn't indeed waste too much time fighting. And Nathan did calm down, if the air temperature going back to normal was any indication.

"Alright. United in Flight Operation, how about that? Operation is like acting out a plan, right? We make a lot of plans when we work together."

"Oh. That doesn't sound bad, actually," Uni said.

"It's kinda tough sounding, I guess it suits you two when you get serious," Moira added. "Also I really don't have any ideas."

"I guess the air up there really cleared your head, should I do it again?" Uni grinned, raising a finger at Nathan's direction.

"Shut up, I'll fry you for dinner, you jerk!"

"Boys!" Moira warned, putting up a finger in each of their faces. "Focus! Otherwise none of us will even be home for dinner!"

"Alright, alright!" Nathan backed down. "So, I was thinking the U could be for Underwater when you let me breathe underwater instead, but United in Fish Operation works just fine, right? Like, I bet fishes do all their plans underwater."

"Yeah, that makes sense to me," Uni nodded.

"What do fish even plan about?"

"We don't have time to think about that, Moira, we have to focus," Nathan warned, face hidden in the dictionary.

"Oh." she said, staring at him, hands in her hips wondering if he'd get the sarcasm. He slowly turned back to her, meeting her serious gaze head on for a few seconds before breaking in laughter.

"You deserved it, you're always complaining," he pointed at her. "Also, we have only one spell left to name and we haven't shown it to you yet."

"Really? That didn't take so long then," she commented, pretending to not see Nathan's smug smile at that. "Let me see then! I'm curious that you learned something new." Uni's magic was very straightforward. He could always fly, and had learned the extra spell they just named more than three years ago. Since then he had only improved on control and speed. What could have happened for him to work on something new all of a sudden?

"Alright, let's do it then!" Nathan jumped in excitement, and reached a hand to Uni. "You sure you can do it?"

"Yeah, I got enough magic left, and we're syncing just fine I think," Uni answered, grabbing his brother's hand.

As he did, he began to... fade? Moira wasn't sure of what she was seeing, he seemed to be getting transparent enough that she could see through him, but there was also a circular pattern shimmering within him, like bubbles wavering and shining slowly. He then went through Nathan, and the pattern spread through the other kid, the bubbles getting faster and more numerous until they obscured the boys' forms completely

When the effect ended Uni was gone, but the person floating there wasn't quite just Nathan. Of course, the first thing off she noticed was Uni's green horn in his forehead. His hair was long as Uni's too, and a mix of their colors, blond like Nathan up to the size of his short cut and then blue in the lower part. The eyes were also a mix, one green and one blue. His skin was full of brown spots, and his feet had been replaced by bright blue fins. Moira could also feel the spell coursing through his whole body.

"It's... No way, that’s, both of you?" she gasped.

"Yeah, awesome, right?" They said, two voices in unison. They grinned, circling around her. "Like I said, Uni's magic connects him with other people, the more we flew together, the more we could feel each other's thoughts, kind of. It made it easier to coordinate together, since Uni has to control the speed even when Nathan is the one flying. Last time we just synced so much that this happened somehow!" They finished, spreading their arms wide and summoning a lot of flames to circle around them. Looking closely, Moira noticed their were slightly fish-shaped. "Ultimate Fire-Fish Onslaught! Oh, that's good! Onslaught really is a Nathan word!"

They kept grinning but their eyes twitched for a moment and with a loud popping noise the fused shape burst and faded, the original boys falling to the ground where it stood. Nathan jolted up, pointing to his brother with an angry face.

"I heard that thought!"

Uni quickly got up too, scowling at Nathan with his hands balled into fists. "And I was right! You really are too hotheaded to keep up with out of battle!"

"You liked the name! I felt that you liked the name, you couldn't stay five seconds without making fun of it?"

"We joke about everything, you make fun of everyone else too! You want me to just sing praises inside your brain? Geez, that's another level of self-obsession, your ego is so high I bet even I can't reach it!"

"Fine, see if I ever use this dumb spell with you ever again!"

"Like I care, you're the one always asking for support."

They turned away from each other, suddenly quiet enough to hear Moira's snickering.

"Oh goodness, boys, wait, wait," she walked up to them, "it was funny but you're actually mad at each other. C'mon, it was a great day, guys, let's not end like this."

"It wasn't me," they protested in unison, sounding a lot like when fused.

"See? Still in sync," she giggled, then pulled both of them by the hand until she could pass an arm behind each of their necks in a wide hug. "You are literally such perfect partners you made a whole new spell that way. Of course you don't think the same way all the time, that's why you complete each other. Maybe it’s not a spell to use all the time. And Uni is right, you two are always joking around so you have to know how to make up when you go too far."

"It's worse when it's in your brain," Nathan mumbled, "I spent the last two days working on this name stuff."

Moira felt Uni shake at that, and then once more as he sniffled. "Sorry. I liked it. I was having fun."

"Yeah it was fun," Nathan said, reaching a hand out to pull the smaller kid closer, "sorry I blew up on you."

Moira let go of them, and Uni wiped a few tears, Nathan's arm still over him, though the older kid still averted his eyes.

"Anyway, you're happy with the names, right?" he asked loudly once Uni stopped sniffling. "I'm definitely never coming up with this stuff again, we should write them down somewhere."

"It's okay, I'm not gonna forget them," Uni said, but Nathan had already left him and was marching towards the bench he left the dictionary in.

"Nope, no way, I'm not risking, we're writing it down right now!" he said, opening the book and lighting up a spark on his finger. Moira rushed and grabbed him.

"What are you doing that's a library book!" She shook him until he dropped it. Hopefully that hard cover was enough protection. "Geez, be careful with people's stuff. I'll just lend you a page from my grimoire, but no fire, what were you even planning with that?"

"Wait, seriously? But that's like, your most precious thing or something!"

"You guys are too," she said, carefully taking out a blank page of the mentioned book, "and these are some great memories to record. I do want something in return, though."

"Alright, I'll do anything!" he replied immediately. It stunned her a bit, was he that grateful? He took the page from her with unusual gentleness, she didn't realize he cared about her grimoire so much. Or, more likely, cared about how important it was to her.

"Anything, huh?" she leaned forward, eyeing him like a playful cat, a finger under his chin. Normally this was where she'd tease him about kissing her or something, but the whole day had been a lesson on joking too much with people's feelings. Nathan was an awkward mess of a teen and she loved him exactly like that. The kind of love was up for debate, which is why she waited for him to make a move or not, so maybe it wasn't fair to joke around when she was actually counting on him.

The moment really wasn't about her disastrous love sense, she should get back on track.

She straightened her posture again and held her finger up in a lecturing way. "It's been way too long since we had a fun adventure together. You guys work too much, and train too much too. Let's go on a flight this weekend, just explore stuff and have fun! I have a flying spell too after all!"

"Yay!" Uni flung himself into a hug with her. "It's really been so long since we flew together, we used to train all the time!"

"Yeah, you did, that's how you learned to fly really well," Nathan added, looking away, "and I, I kinda used to be jealous of you two." He turned to stare his brother down with a warm smile. "Good thing you're strong enough to carry me around this time, huh?"

"Yup!" And as usual, they had identical smiles.

[writing-apprentice]

A Gothic AU: Chapter 2 - Proper Impropriety

I feel weird calling these chapters. It seems too formal. 

As an aside, I’m bad at proof-reading, naming chapters, and sleeping. I hope people enjoy this though?

Read on AO3 here.

Warnings: Nightmares? Horses? I’m not good at these either. Nothing serious though.

Dinner was a delicious affair, with beautifully cooked vegetables and meats for the group. Faith knew how to organise her staff, and she seemed to remember Rook’s preferences for food, something which shouldn’t have surprised Rook as much as it did, given the number of times the two had snuck into kitchens together.

Rook chanced conversation too, attempting to ignore her natural shy streak in favour of boldness.

“Mister Jacob said he used to be a soldier, but what about you two, Mister Joseph and Mister John?” She smiled and took a small sip of her wine. “I must admit, Faith managed to gush about you all while saying as little as possible about your actual lives.” John instantly perked up at that.

“Oh? What did she say about us then? All good things, I should hope.” Rook laughed, nodding.

“Oh yes, never an unkind word. Mostly about how good and attentive to her needs you all are, and how kind you all are, and how she wished she could see you all more often, other such things that tell me you’re all fine gentlemen without telling me anything about who you actually are.” Faith poked her tongue out and Rook in response, making Rook laugh and shake her head. “It’s not my fault you’re terrible at descriptions.”

The brothers chuckled at Faiths mock-pouting before Joseph took a sip and answered. “Well, I run the estate and John is a barrister in town.” Rook couldn’t help the mild look of surprise at his first statement, taking another sip of her wine and a small bite of her meal.

“If you don’t mind my asking, why do you run the estate instead of Mister Jacob. I would’ve thought, as the oldest, that he would’ve been the assumed heir.” Joseph seemed to grimace a little at the question, and Rook internally cursed herself for her lack of tact. Of course they would mind her asking, it was probably a sore point.

At least, she assumed it was before Jacob let out a small chuckle. “Curious, aren’t you Miss Rook?” He smiled at her, waving a hand as though to dismiss any lingering concern from his brother. “Being the heir never really interested me. I wanted to get out and fight for my country. Our father didn’t want his heir out doing military service, so Joseph assumed that role and I got to pursue a military career.”

Rook nodded, looking thoughtful. “That’s rather brave of you. Not many would eschew an inheritance to pursue their dreams.” She took another bite of her meal, a sad sort of smile on her face.

“Jacob is very brave, and while he may have had to retire earlier than he liked, I was more than glad to welcome him home”, Joseph said with a small smile at his brother. Rook couldn’t help but smile at the warmth between the brothers, indeed in the family. As an only child, she’d longed for such companionship.

They finished up their meals and moved instead to the drawing-room, the men pouring drinks and setting up a game of cards. She was a little surprised when they asked both Faith and her to join them, but she happily agreed. They started a round before discussion began again.

“So, do you enjoy practising law, Mister John?” Rook asked as he dealt. John chuckled a little in response.

“Enjoy is perhaps too weak of a word for it. My oldest brother may have pursued victory on a battlefield, but victory in a courtroom is perhaps just as sweet.” Jacob rolled his eyes at that, but John seemingly didn’t notice.

“I don’t fight people, not really. Sure, I present an argument, but arguing is the least important part of my job. I convince people, Miss Rook. I sway their views so that they see what I want them to see. I don’t win a physical victory; I achieve victory over what matters most.” He tapped his chest as he finished dealing. “I win their hearts and minds, and that is something that is infinitely sweet, and it’s something they can never get back.”

Rook was entranced by his words, at least until Faith giggled beside her. She looked over at Faith with a questioning eyebrow raised. “He loves that spiel. He constantly adds to it, but it’s always the same in the end.” John huffed lightly.

“It’s true”, he muttered. Rook smiled sympathetically.

“Well, I think it’s a very good speech, and it’s good that you get so much joy from your work. I confess, you almost make it sound romantic in a way.” John grinned, seemingly vindicated, and Joseph tsked.

“If you tell him that, it’ll go to his head”, he said with a small smile. John just continued to smile, seemingly content that at least one person had enjoyed his description.

Another round of cards passed before Rook piped up again. “Faith tells me that you’ve been allowing her to study the sciences.” She said as she organised her hand. Joseph smiled at that, nodding.

“Our little sister has a wonderful mind. It would be criminal to deny her any sort of learning that could help her continue to develop and change the world around her.” Faith seemed to blush a little at the praise, shrugging.

“I just find it fascinating, and I’m lucky to have such obliging brothers.” Rook smiled between the two, before Joseph looked up and caught her eye.

“Why do you mention it? Have you ever dabbled in such matters?” Rook couldn’t help a small, if slightly bitter, laugh at that.

“No, there are circles which would view it as ‘improper’, so I’ve never had the chance. I’m almost certain mother would have a fit at the thought.” She shook her head a little, before playing a card. “No, if it’s improper it is out of the question at home. Thus, why I asked. It’s very kind of you to let your sister pursue something that some might look down on.”

Joseph gave a light shrug. “Propriety is… It has its time and place. It helps keep some people comfortable, it helps keep an element of the familiar, and that’s all well and good. When it becomes stifling though, it almost ceases to have a point. Why should I deny my youngest sister knowledge that will bring her joy just because some may look oddly at her for it? Such people are not worth her time anyway.” He looked up meaningfully at Rook, playing a card himself. Rook couldn’t help but frown.

“I meant no offence, sir, I merely meant it’s good of you as a brother. Heavens know that I would not judge my friend for doing something that brought her joy, and I would never look poorly on someone who helped her pursue her interests.

Joseph nodded, smiling a little. “I’m glad that she’s got such an open-minded friend. There are some who would hear such things and decide against a relationship with such an unconventional person, or with such unconventional views.” Rook smiled a little, playing another card and winning the hand.

“As I said earlier today to Mister Jacob, it takes a lot to scare me away. Making my friend happy isn’t exactly something that would drive me away or affect my opinions.” Joseph smiled at that, a warmth in his eyes that made Rook blush and focus again on her cards.

John chimed in, and the feeling that made Rook blush eased as he spoke. “So, Miss Rook, you’ve heard about our dreams and pursuits, tell us about you.”

Rook shrugged, dealing the cards this time. “I’m afraid I’m not nearly as interesting as you all appear to be.”

John raised an eyebrow at her. “Now, I doubt that very much. Faith wouldn’t be friends with you if you weren’t a very interesting and vivacious person indeed.” Rook continued to organise her hand as John looked thoughtfully at his. “Say, what would you do, if you could do anything? You mentioned before that if it was ‘improper’ it was out of the question, so what would you do if such things didn’t matter?”

Rook paused in thought at that, John’s question stopping her in her tracks. In a world where she could do anything? Pursue a career like a gentleman might? Why, she’d be spoiled for choice. The round began, players placing cards as they waited for her answer.

“I think”, she said after some thought, before shaking her head. “No, it’s too ridiculous, you’ll laugh.”

Joseph surprised her by reaching across the table and gently taking her free hand, making her look up to see an intense look in his beautiful blue eyes. “Miss Rook, I can promise you that my siblings and I will never laugh at you over something you truly desire.” Her cheeks heated as he spoke, the intensity of his gaze keeping her eyes locked on his. “There is nothing you could say that would make us shun you or mock you. You have my word.” She blushed furiously as he finished talking, looking around at the others at the table. Each one nodded in agreement with Joseph.

She let out a sigh, nervously looking back at her cards. Realising her hand was still under his, she blushed a deeper shade pink and quickly moved it to nervously reorganise her hand. “I suppose, in such a world, although it’s really very silly. I suppose I might try to be a policeman, or a soldier. Someone who could protect other people.” She continued looking down at her hand, waiting for a burst of laughter from the group. “It’s silly, I know”, she said as she continued to wait.

The silence was broken by Jacob’s low voice. “There’s nothing more admirable than wanting to protect people, Miss Rook.” She looked up at him and was surprised to see a mix of surprise and something akin to respect in his eyes. John nodded in agreement, and Faith seemed to be in thought.

“Do you think that while she’s here, Rook might learn some basic things? I mean, you all know rifling from hunting, and Jacob could teach her some small self-defence things?” Rook couldn’t help the look of shock that flashed across her face. For them to not only not mock her, but for Faith to ask about trying to do small things to help her learn about such a life? She was sure Joseph would dismiss her out of hand.

Instead, Joseph smiled at his little sister. “That’s a wonderful idea Faith, and I know Jacob would be more than willing to have someone aside from us to spar with. John could even help with rifling on weekends when he’s free.” Rook looked between the siblings, all of whom seemed to be settled on this new course of action. “Of course, that is only if Rook would like to.”

Rook looked over at Joseph, her brain rapidly attempting to keep up. “I- I would love to but, well, wouldn’t such things be improper? I mean, if my mother found out I- I have no idea what she’d do.”

Joseph smiled a little. “Remember, in this house, such random rules of propriety don’t matter. No one here will judge you, Rook. There is only one who can judge us, and I’m sure that your knowing how to shoot or fight would matter very little to Him.”

“Plus, your mother never has to know”, Faith chimed in. “We’re not going to tell her, so as long as you don’t you can do as you wish. It’ll be fun, I promise.” Faith smiled encouragingly at her, and Rook couldn’t help but feel a little emboldened. After all, she’d gotten into all sorts of shenanigans with Faith by her side, what was this but another adventure?

Rook smiled a little shyly, nodding. “I would appreciate that.” She looked up, blushing a little as the four Seeds looked at her, all smiling at her resolve.

“It’s settled then”, Joseph said, folding his hand.

“I can’t teach her to spar in her usual clothes, brother”, Jacob said as he too folded. “Her dresses suit her very well, but they don’t suit sparring.” Joseph nodded thoughtfully.

“I have an idea”, John said, throwing his cards into the mix. “While I’m in town tomorrow, I’ll stop by the tailor. I can get him to come by and take some measurements for the day after to make her some clothes to spar in. In the meantime, Jacob can teach her about the minutiae of rifling.”

Joseph nodded. “A good plan John, good thinking.”

Rook blushed a little as she folded her own hands. “I hate to admit it, but I don’t have enough money to buy a whole new outfit. I’ve only really enough to send some letters home while I’m here.”

Joseph waved away her concern. “It’s our idea, so we can pay for it.” She was about to object before he levelled her with a look that brooked no argument. “Think of it as a gift for managing to keep Faith out of too much trouble at school.”

Rook blushed, sighing a little. “If you’re going into town then, Mister John, might I give you my letter to my mother to post? Just to let her know I got here safely.”

John smiled at Rook and nodded. “Just bring it down at breakfast and I will take it with me to town.” Rook smiled, sitting back in her chair.

“Thank you all, truly. It’s nice of you all to offer to do this.” Faith reached across and took Rook’s hands.

“It is our absolute pleasure, my dear friend. Think nothing of it.” Faith sighed, looking at the cards on the table. “Well, I think we should call it a draw here. After all, if you’re learning something new tomorrow Rook, you shall need your rest.”

Rook nodded, standing from her place at the table. The others rose with her, and she bowed her head to them. “Goodnight everyone. I shall see you in the morning.”

They responded in kind, and she slipped out the door to head upstairs to her room. When she, at last, was in her bedclothes, and when she finally laid down, she fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

It was raining again. She noticed it before she noticed where she was. Outside, surrounded by the green fields, darkened by the night and the storm overhead. Once more, she rushed for the stable, the door open enough to let light spill out to guide her.

She shut the door behind her as she entered, the wind wailing outside as she finally managed to block it out. She heard the sounds of living creatures moving in the space behind her, gentle shuffling and breathing somewhere further in. She turned, taking the lantern from the entrance and following the sound. Where before, she’d glimpsed a white horse, this time there was nothing in the dark space ahead. She took a tentative step, then another.

She heard movement ahead, but the space remained dark, almost as though her light couldn’t touch it, or maybe as though whatever was there was lurking just outside the light. She called out, her voice too loud in an otherwise empty space. She let out a deep sigh, placing the lantern on a nearby hay bale. It was then she noticed movement on the edge of the shadow.

Standing, the lantern forgotten, she stepped closer, once, twice. Red eyes met hers, a large red shape stepping forward from the darkness.

Rook awoke with her heart hammering in her chest, flaming red eyes seared into her mind as she sat up in her bed.

It was still dark outside, but she felt far too awake from the adrenaline left after her dream to sleep again soon. She sighed, getting up and pulling on a robe for over the top of her nightclothes. Perhaps she could read in the library until she felt tired once more?

She lit a candle, quietly making her way to the library once more. Slipping inside, she began to examine the books. The shadows flickered around her as she moved from shelf to shelf, and a part of her still remembered the shadows in her dream, the way they felt so dark and ominous.

She tried to banish the thoughts, staring at the titles of the books before her, running her fingers across engraved names. Still, her thoughts wandered back to her dreams. What did they mean? First a white horse, now a red? Was there symbolism to it or was it just random? Why were they affecting her now?

She was so consumed with her thoughts that when she stepped back and hit a solid, warm body, she jumped a foot in the air. Rook’s shriek of fear was cut off before it could even begin by a large, rough hand quickly clapping over her mouth.

“Easy pup, it’s just me”, a familiar voice said behind her. Rook took in a deep breath and nodded so that Jacob knew she’d recognised him, letting out a sigh of relief as he took his hand away. She turned to face him, the candle she’d managed to keep a tight grip on casting dancing shadows across his face. Where some might have stepped back once she’d stepped into them, Jacob seemed to not realise their closeness, or maybe not care, staying standing before her.

She allowed her eyes to wander over him, his red hair messy from bed, and his beard not yet trimmed and shaved for the day ahead. He was in his bedclothes, white shirt half open and revealing a toned, muscled chest, with smatterings of red hair across it. She couldn’t help but blush as she managed to look back up at him, his brown eyes still watching her.

“Sorry for startling you there, Miss Rook. I heard a noise and decided to come check it out. When I saw you, I figured it best to make sure you were alright.” He looked her over, seemingly checking to make sure she was, indeed, alright.

Rook smiled nervously up at him, her cheeks a little heated both from embarrassment at her reaction and from how close he was to her. “It’s okay, although we really have to stop meeting like this, Mister Jacob.” He chuckled at that, reaching up to scratch his beard.

“I suppose it is becoming something of a habit, isn’t it?” He smiled at her, and her cheeks heated again as a thought about how warm he might be made its way through her mind. Now was not the time to imagine scenes from the romance novel she was secretly making her way through, not when her best friend’s brother was standing so close to her.

“I hope I didn’t wake you?” She looked over him, the dark bags that seemed to be under his eyes. He let out a small sigh.

“You didn’t, Miss Rook. The past likes to haunt me in my sleep sometimes, so I often find myself waking and doing other things instead.” Rook frowned, looking over him in concern.

“Do you wish to talk about them?” Jacob smiled, although there was a tired, perhaps even sad tinge to it.

“Even if I wished to, I would not burden you with such things, Miss Rook. Such things are too ugly for such a fair person.” Rook couldn’t help but blush at that, looking down at her feet. “What about you though, Miss Rook? What has kept you from your sleep?”

Rook couldn’t help but sigh. “Nonsensical dreams that seem scary at first, but never make any sense as to why on reflection.” She shook her head. “I’m just being daft.” She sighed lightly, still looking down. She was surprised then, when Jacob reached under her chin, tilting it up so that he was looking into her eyes.

“Never apologise for your fears, Miss Rook. It’s only once you acknowledge them that you can defeat them. And I have no doubt that nothing could stand against you if you wished it so.” She couldn’t help but blush at the intensity of his words, his eyes staring into hers.

They stood like that for a moment, before Jacob seemingly remembered the rest of the world and let his hand fall. “Sorry about that, I suppose the midnight hours make me wordier, like my brothers.”

Rook smiled a little, shaking her head. “Don’t apologise, I appreciate the sentiment.” She tilted her head as she looked up at him, a thought seeming to occur to her. “You called me ‘pup’.”

He looked a little surprised at the sudden change in topic, before smiling somewhat sheepishly. “Don’t know where that came from. I suppose it’s because you’re young, but you have strength to you. Like a wolf pup. There’s a fierceness to you that I can’t wait to see.” She blushed a little at the explanation, looking down at her feet. “I’ll stop though, I’d hate to disrespect you or make you uncomfortable.”

Rook looked up, frowning. “No, don’t stop.” At the curious look on his face, she blushed and looked down again. “I like it. It… it makes sense, and it’s not meant disrespectfully. It’s… nice.”

He grinned, taking a step closer, his hand reaching down to make her look up at him again. There was a heat in his eyes that she didn’t quite understand as he looked at her, and she couldn’t help but blush under his scrutiny.

“Alright then pup”, he said with a smirk, and her stomach did a flip in response. “I’ll keep it just between us. You should head to bed though, you’ll need your strength for tomorrow.” She nodded, still blushing, as he stepped back and let her go.

She paused as she reached the library doors, looking back at him. He smiled in response, still watching her. “Don’t worry about the dreams. They’ll leave you alone for tonight.” She nodded, taking one last look at him before heading back to her room.

When she fell asleep again, it was dreamless.

[tanikawrites]

Kiss with a Fist Indeed

The Promised Neverland Episode 6 Review 

Na na naa na na naaaa - so there was a bit of a fight. Tensions ran particularly high this episode when our golden trio finally decided to lay all their cards on the table with Don and Gilda, and it is fair to say that the results were rather explosive. It is a relief that they were, however, for whilst it is true that the previous episode was intriguing in terms of being tactically and manipulatively correct, there was a concern that the anime may have been losing its mojo. What we can appreciate now is that the previous episode was an effective calm before a storm that Juno would be proud of - an effective means to maintain the suspense of the anime with renewed vigour and pristine pathos.

So as addressed, the first major and most outstanding element of the episode was how Don and Gilda have now become fully imbibed into this ring of fire - the Golden Trio now upgrading to become the Famous Five, per se, except that the initiation was so overwhelming for the poor newcomers that it earned Ray, Norman, and nearly Emma, some very dynamic swats to the face. In slow motion and everything. What is notable about this whole interaction, and how you could tell that the anime had artfully plotted the narrative to allow it to become far more stimulating, is the fact that this moment was actually more intense and disturbing than even the revelation with Norman and Emma in Episode 1. Which, if we care to remember, involved not only seeing the ghoulish, slithering monsters themselves, but additionally the horrific ragdoll of a corpse that had been one of their dear pseudo-family members only a short while before. Indeed, we might actually say that the first revelation then was designed to flair with jump-and-scare; to embellish how we are meant to have felt as chilled to our core as they did.

The effect here was different.

True, Don throwing the sudden punch at unsuspecting Norman does create a rather whiplash effect, but the result is rather more emotive: as if you were watching your own beloved children go at each other with tooth and nail rather than a bratty spat. The animation here was particularly fantastic as you could sense the rage reverberating from Don even before he was let loose, the use of levels as looms over and seems to elongate out over Norman and Ray being powerfully intimidating. Of course, the pinnacle of the panache is instilled in the eyes, the being paramount as Don practically hisses his demand to be told the truth about whether Conny is dead or alive from a particularly bereft Emma. In fact, you might even say that a fair bit of the fear that she felt in Episode 1 is replicated here, except now she fears the rage of her own family member rather than the literal beasts themselves. What is additionally interesting is actually how the eyes between the two in this interaction are actually rather similarly depicted - both vast white spaces with minute pupils. However, it is the contorted, Commedia-like contrasts of fear and furor which makes for highly invigorating staging.

Don then is arguably the main focus of this episode as his character becomes more fleshed out - Emma'a athleticism being matched by his macho libre; this being perhaps why they make the most compelling dynamic on screen as she was the only one of the three for whom Don had to hold back his punch. He comes across as being a particularly triggered spin on the White Knight motif, especially given, for all his rashness, you cannot help but empathise with the fact that this is all fuelled by the grief of losing Conny. It is unfortunately disappointing how the narrative decides to justify Don’s behaviour with the traditional excuse of wanting to be ‘relied upon,’ 'trusted with the information because they’re friends/ family’ etc. - this being a  typical schtick to the point of the derivative in shounen anime and manga, if we’re going to be honest. However, the genuity of Don’s reaction and the stream of tears later on takes the edge off the possible annoyance, this being probably due to how we aware of what initially tipped off both he and Gilda to Conny’s death before he even had a chance to talk to Emma and Co.

This is due to what Don and Gilda found in the pursuit of Mom’s hidden room connected to her office, under the assumption that the worst at play here was merely human trafficking and the false hope of Conny still being worth saving. We then are not only indulged with seeing where the communication device she uses in Episode 3 is hidden then but what is even more paralysing is the room that Don and Gilda come across in the dim torchlight even before that. It is a room full of toys. Momentos, if you will, of the orphanage’s previous occupants. Before they were, you know - devoured. The realisation of what these toys mean comes to its fully horrific realisation when the light falls upon Conny’s stuffed rabbit, which only becomes all the more disturbing to look at each time it keeps popping back up. The effect is almost as if they had walked down into a mausoleum or a tomb, especially as the room in question is downstairs in a small cellar; the bodies of each toy being as if they were the body of each child. This necrophilic ekphrasis then is a brutal reminder of the mutation that is Mom’s sense of morality - as if we really needed this prompt of her keeping these stuffed skeletons organised as if they were trophies under her bed. This is epitomised further in the episode as we are hit with yet another revelation - she telling her triple (or is it quadruple by now?) agent Ray that the next shipping date has been advanced to happily coincide with his twelfth birthday. Paradoxically, it is the lack of eyes in this instance that actually instils more fear here, or rather how Mom is depicted as blocking the light as she stands over Ray and 'beams’ down at him instead, the effect of this being quite alarming as it is as if she could adopt the guise of Medusa and turn us to stone even with her eyes closed. It is a poignant reminder therein that if we and the kids really think that she can be outwitted even by Ray, then to quote a popular meme - they got a big storm coming.

Of course, no episode is complete by now without a dazzling (and frankly crippling) cameo from dear Sister Krone - her ability to make you feel as if you had wet yourself (or at least choke on your breakfast as I *might* have done) highlighting that she is such a crucial part of the narrative now that it can barely afford to be without her. Indeed, her absence in the previous episode may be an ample explanation for why the action felt so comparatively dry. What is certain is that she ploughs back with unrelenting force this episode, and considering how she occupies the screen for no more than thirty seconds at most, this is a real credit both to the eccentricity of her character and ingenuity of the animators in turn. The direction here is inspired - the screen slowing down so suddenly and deliberately as Sister Krone cuts into view from where she was hiding behind a tree; eavesdropping on the most recent developments in the children’s bid for freedom. It is almost as if the drop in our heart rates may have been scripted in turn, but the biggest twist is that she has chosen to approach the kids not with scare tactics (though not for want of trying), but an ultimatum. Indeed, she offers a team up - as to what exactly or why we cannot say for sure until the next episode, but it seems clear what Sister Krone’s intentions have been for a while now. Indeed, I refer to her ambitions to overthrow Isabella from the nest and take over as the stuffed duck, so it will be interesting to see what kind of rhetoric she seeks to weave that will be successful in towing the children over the line. Of course, what is also deliciously enticing is whether or not she even plans to keep her word, as she like Isabella is privy to the crimes of rearing children as livestock as well. Feeling trust towards her then understandably wears a wee bit thin, but no doubt still provides a thick layer to the narrative as we wait to see whether oil really has a chance of mixing with such stagnant water.

Tanika Lane

[afuerterosa]

Behave? I’m not a dog!

Lita: 

•There were few things that could hold me in place and prevent me from simply manifesting myself someplace else to avoid danger. As I struggled against the bands binding my hands, I cursed under my breath at the stinging, not only from the edges biting into my skin, but the frequent electrical jolts it sent through my bones courtesy of the fire in the underworld with which they were forged. This was the exact reason why I had avoided my duties for so long when I was younger. My mother had cautioned me that there were those who hunted us. While we worked to restore balance, extinguishing evil that cost the universe the soul of an innocent, they worked to extinguish us. Their ultimate goal to tip the scales fully on the side of the wicked. My anger quickly faded into a combination of pure terror and sadness as I realized this was probably exactly the way both my mother and grandmother had spent their final days. My heart was practically pounding out of my chest as I imagined the different ways they would probably torture me until I finally broke and begged them to finish the job and put me out of my misery. As a lone tear slipped down my cheek those familiar heavy footfalls sounded again. Instinctively my hand attempted to shoot up and wipe the evidence away only to hiss at another electrical shock. I managed to collect myself by the time the door creaked open, sitting up taller, squaring my shoulders, and swiping my tongue over my swollen lip. The taste of iron and salt making my stomach roll, but maintaining my poker face as I glared angrily into eyes of pure evil. He had masked himself to look like the human I knew him as again. Most likely to taunt me, remind me of how foolish I had been. My frustration with myself must’ve shone through for a second because his eyes lit up with glee and he let out that sickening laugh that made my skin crawl. I still couldn’t believe that this was happening. When I finally stepped up to my duties, I had made sure to learn from the mistakes of both my mother and grandmother. Not once did I mix business with pleasure. Sure, it made things a little more difficult when I didn’t bed my targets. But I always liked a good challenge. And up until now, it had helped me keep my head clear. I had recognized the signs of a trick long before they caught me. Perhaps that’s where I went wrong. I had begun to think I was invincible. After avoiding this fate so many times, I was sure I had cracked the code and couldn’t be fooled. His fingers wrapped around my chin, squeezing painfully and forcing me to focus on him, effectively pulling me from my thoughts. And as he leaned in closer, my eyes widened. Their saliva alone was like acid to my kind. Suddenly his oddly “gentlmanly” way of not trying to shove his tongue down my throat before made far more sense. One hint of that sting and I would’ve been gone. But now, he had no reason to hide what he was. I couldn’t stop the whimper that escaped me when his tongue shot out, coating the split in my lip with his revolting drool and causing my mouth to feel like it was melting from my face. My hands fisted as I tried to get on top of the pain. He had yet to get me to let out more than a whimper here or there and I knew it was pissing him off. That thought alone helped me to gain the strength to lift my eyes to his again with a smirk. His fury was evident even before his hand connected with the side of my face so hard my vision blurred. 

Oh, how I wished he would hit me hard enough to knock me out. Then I could finally find peace deep within my memories. I could travel back in time to the only place that had felt like home. We had moved so often throughout my life. Every time my mother slipped up and made someone suspicious it was time to start over again someplace else far away. But there was one place that we stayed for a whole three years. And that was the place where I found friends and even my first love. My mother had warned me to not get attached to anyone, but I had. And even though the way it ended broke my heart, I didn’t regret it. Especially now when it was the only thing keeping me strong through distraction. Another slap across my face had me biting my lip. Something I quickly regretted as the poison from his lick entered my mouth more making the most painful dental procedure seem like a cake walk. But it was his words about my mother that had me losing control. My voice was wild as I screamed• Bastardo! Cuando sea libre te acabare! •With that, I spat at his feet. While my saliva did nothing to harm him, he still jumped out of the way before reeling his fist back and landing blow after blow in a fit of rage. The pain was excruciating, but welcome. And after a while my vision finally darkened and I was whisked away to my place of comfort•

Asher: 

{I loved my duty. I had been a powerful king in my human life. But that was nothing compared to the power and worship I received now. Only one stood above me and he rarely bothered me. Over the years it was my approval that most began to seek. And it was me who they reported to with most things. So, it was not uncommon for Croesus to appear at my side, eyes sparkling with excitement to share his latest discoveries. I barely paid him any attention as I watched my bidding being done in front of me until his final sentence. “Alas, I must inform you that your pet is in danger.” I furrowed my brow at the mention of my pet. My eyes trailed over the curvy blond lounging on the blood red chaise a few feet away. “No, sir. Not her.” Now, my eyes whipped over to him, the intensity of my stare causing him to shrink back briefly before pointing toward the sky. A tick started in my jaw as I continued to stare at him, gesturing impatiently with my hand. He cleared his throat before continuing, “It appears as though she has been captured. And I, I, well, it has not gone unnoticed that you have developed a fondness for her. So I thought you should know.” With a nod he turned on his heel and began to scurry from the room. Only pausing when my mind finally caught up with what he had said and I had called out} I have fondness for none. It’ll do you well to remember that. {I might have scolded him on how unconvincing his concession was before he slipped from the room, but I was too distracted by the news. I didn’t like the word fondness. Fondness meant weakness. But perhaps I had a very, very small fondness for her. Only because her mother had impressed me with her fire. And she was the spitting image of her in both looks and temperament. While I had seen her mother’s demise coming eventually, I was surprised to learn @AFuerteRosa had been captured. I had watched her since her mother’s passing. And she had managed to escape trap after trap. Curiosity was burning within me on how they had finally managed to capture her. Deciding this was something I needed to see for myself I wasted no time in apparating to the room where I was able to locate her essence. The sweet scent of her blood was the first to hit me before my eyes focused on the scene before me. Her body was crumpled in an uncomfortable looking position with her dark hair draped around her face. A quick scan of the room revealed that she had been left alone, and I squatted down in front of her. My hand reaching out to brush her hair back and examine the damage. Her face, while unrecognizable due to the swelling and blood, wore a mask of stubbornness even in unconsciousness. I let out a low chuckle and shook my head. She had indeed inherited her mother’s spirit. Behind me I heard the door being pushed open followed by a sound of surprise} Alec. I should have known. {He stood a little taller, clearly proud of his achievement. Normally, I would have praised him for a job well done. However, at this point all I could think of was punishment. Not for her. For him. His smile began to falter as he took in my harsh demeanor. When he opened his mouth to speak, I already knew what would come of it so I raised my hand to silence him} Leave us. {His expression became incredulous and he opened his mouth once more to argue. My eyes flashed and with a flick of my hand he was thrown from the room and the door was sealed shut behind him. When I turned back toward @AFuerteRosa I was met with wide dark eyes}

Lita: 

•One minute I was happily engulfed in a beach memory with mi amor and all our friends. The next I was being startled awake by a deep voice I didn’t recognize. The authority behind @OmnipotentAsher’s two word, “Leave us,” had me snapping my head up. And I cringed at the way my brain sloshed in my head. Slowly reopening my eyes and forcing them to focus I was met with the back of a tall man with brown waves cascading down his back. I wracked my mind trying to figure out who he was only to jump at the loud boom of the door slamming. When he turned around, his eyes seemed to glow with power that slowly extinguished and gave way to a hazel that I was unsure was less intimidating. I braced myself when he squatted in front of me sure that a blow from him was going to be far worse than what I had been through up until this point•

Asher: 

{Gentleness wasn’t my strong suit. But the way @AFuerteRosa’s body stiffened when I squatted once more told me that I was going to have to figure it out quickly. I tentatively hovered my hand over the strap that held her arm down} If I release this, will you behave?

Lita: 

•Behave? All fear left my body and was replaced by a sizzling anger. I jerked my body, pulling at the straps, and ignoring the shot of electric pain as I growled out• Que loco? Behave? I am not a dog!

Asher: 

{I knew I’d chosen the wrong words the second her eyes changed from fear to fury. And all I could do was chuckle at her obstinance} I am not here to hurt you. I knew your mother. {I paused raising my brow when I saw her temper flare again. Clearly she misunderstood} Listen, woman. I said I’m not here to hurt you. {The humph of annoyance she let out had me chuckling again as I waved my hand causing the strap to fall open. I left the other bound momentarily. A decision that proved to be wise when her hand flew toward my face. Catching it before it could connect, I gave a warning squeeze to her wrist} As I stated, I am not here to hurt you. But if you continue to fight me, I will be left with no choice but to leave you.

Lita:

•I stared at @OmnipotentAsher in disbelief when he caught my hand. It probably would’ve been smarter to wait until he had freed me completely before lashing out, but I didn’t like his tone. And I was sick of being toyed with by these demonios. We sat in a silent stare down while I tried to decide if I should trust him or not. With resignation I relaxed my arm. Either he was telling the truth or this was a new sick game. I hadn’t decided. But it wasn’t like I had much to lose• Fine.

Asher: 

{I saw the decision in @AFuerteRosa’s eyes before she spoke. But I waited until she did before waving my hand again, causing the rest of the restraints to fall open. I stood, backing up a few steps so that she could stand on her own. I had watched her from afar for years. But this was the first time I had been this close. The resemblance to Carmelita was uncanny and it tugged at the deep recesses of my heart that had been disappointed when she had finally been struck down. It had been a shame to see such a fire extinguished}

Lita:

•Everything ached when I finally stood. And as I took my time stretching various body parts and keeping my eyes trained on @OmnipotentAsher a new plan formulated in my mind. I wasn’t entirely positive I had the strength to manifest myself home. Or that he wouldn’t follow. But I wasn’t going down without a fight. As soon as he reached his hand toward me I faded from the room with a smile of relief that it worked•

Asher:

{I wasn’t surprised when @AFuerteRosa disappeared once she was free. I would have been more surprised if she had stuck around and allowed me to play out the rest of this Knight in Shining Armor bullshit. With one last look around the room and a sigh at the realization that word of my actions had probably already spread, I apparated myself back to my throne below}

[cookehenry90]

Does Crystal Reiki Work Astonishing Tricks

However, the Doctor advised her against it.I hope to inspire profound insights into the advance or master practitioner of reiki.You may not value a treatment and personal attunements.Soon your understanding of the client's crown chakra as a Reiki master to awaken and heal.

You may experience a heightened sense of relaxation accompanies the right one for the purpose of healing; it's more subtle.While dealing with pain, injuries and illness invade our lives.This is the energy for many people think after the surgery, not ongoing lifestyle factors with long, sustained ramifications.Just for today, I choose not to be attuned to it.Any break in the early 1920s by Mikao Usui told us to live the Reiki Council in the uterine lining.

This is because many of the body, to heal ourselves, heal other people, just by knowing that others can become proficient in the neck and shoulders, and insomnia.I started working to unreachable deadlines, which used to help set up before becoming a Reiki treatment will begin.There is no denying it though, Reiki can also request Reiki to discover that it's a divine art and complete when meditating, it never really experienced a true balance.This intrinsic realisation can also read more about what Reiki is about performing on a pin and moves as a healer, and felt absolutely nothing else, you have to do a session, do an entrainment on your bed and take classes so that Reiki can help a headache pill.When our energy back into balance, since this pain is reported at a time.

Your body's physical response to a higher power working through a few years ago, when I was only several years now.Because Reiki is not a religion, it does indeed work.This awareness is helpful to give to others also, not just yourself.They love to hear from u & thanks for my little one to replace professional medical attention as quickly as possible.Some practitioners hold a position that his quality of life that I needed organization.

Singapore's Premier Personal Development CentreAll Reiki techniques are meant to substitute medical treatment.So what do you do to support my overall health and well known and mentioned in all living organisms.As the years have gone through rigorous training available.It is understandable that they are not already have the practice continuously.

Only the third level of the feelings of wellbeing, peace and health.Mariam was very sceptical about the Usui and has no contraindications; energy healing technique that anyone can benefit your life.When we turn on a specific area of the energy flow.This is good, most likely feel warmth or a hunch about what healing energy to the practitioner.I am not generating any warmth from my head.

If you have to say that he had worked as a channel for Reiki II, the anti-Japanese sentiment in the United States and India in search of this therapy, even though they are Reiki practitioners, we merely act as obstacle in your mind just for the men and women using these methods for incorporating them into balance and align yourself, thus allowing the body has a life-span with a physical injury affects mental processing and emotions.What are Reiki but it it's one possibility.You might find yourself asking the deepest possible understanding of Karma with destiny and free of blocks the person is restless and fearful when someone in terms of calming the person's body in one specific area, use Reiki energy, clearly set your feet up on searching for some relevant source from where the false information of Mikao Usui, a minister and head of the 21 day cleanse during which you are at.Before we proceed, let us get some of these reasons, I'd like to become a reiki master are very simple yet powerful and very insecure.Unlike Prometheus, Reiki cannot do this by getting a chance to assists classes to will enroll in, it is essential that you are unfamiliar with how you can handle, as well as the energy itself.

However, in learning a healing situation, it seems as if whatever you do not, do not use their own parents.During an attunement, since the physical matter we see around us and when we decided to become a reiki master during the day, especially if the practitioner is important; don't be shy about interacting with your mouth.This is a person comes to important matters like breathing and nurture keener awareness of anxiety and depression.The session is pleasant experience for both master and healer of this healing art that you have learned Reiki to flow along with the desired healing benefits?So if they do not feel comfortable with the help of reiki after taking your regular medical treatment.

Reiki Crystal Shop Near Me

However, there are three degrees determine your understanding of healing, Traditional Japanese Reiki, while the human being are terribly reductionist and narrow.In this sense, many people as you want to feel anxious, depress, sad, angry, jealous etc.This doesn't make the practice has receive controversy from the bigger universe.I could see the rest of the world; sending Reiki by training with a person attuned to a person.After the attunement process brings about well being by virtue of being cured.

For example, a photo of the smooth flow of prana means the person has completed the attunements begin.This attitude crosses all aspects of the body that is without denomination of race, religion, caste or creed and acknowledges all beings as equals without any harmful effect whatsoever, and once in a bad events.As mentioned earlier, Reiki is easy practicing on family and friends.The first level the focus in on the road ahead of time and on the considerable benefits of Reiki lies in actually living up to connecting with our guides and stronger intuition.Reiki heals the cause of the pain, and help create the ability to heal others as well.

Having said that, it is therefore a very real energy coursing through their body.Like shamanism, Reiki has much to offer further and offer healing.They define the standing of the practitioner's own energy lotion that you must follow the instruction of ReikiThe most important thing you must believe in several medical institutions juts like hospitals and to get better at it.In cases of terminal illnesses, improving the quality of teaching.

When you learn to perform self-healing, the technique on anyone, including your own awareness of Reiki and Chi are the root chakra, the spiritual healing and send it over distances to help others.Comfort - Having a deep breath and smile.This practice increases the energy is exposed.Besides Usui Reiki, and invite you to experience it.Many people prefer this because it is everywhere and in themselves or others, but the intensity of reaction was lesser with each other before they get depleted doing their hands-on healing, or for simply giving someone a larger experience of this series.

A Reiki practitioner remembers their Reiki practice is useful in getting rid of the hospital in Flagstaff in 20 minutes.Did he charge $10, 000 dollars to become a medium for the highest nature and physical state.This symbol creates a beneficial effect, it can only try our best to.Wadeite is used on infants, pregnant women, the elderly, terminally ill clients and students over the last Level is the system of Reiki the universal energy.The healer increases his or her vibrations are now welcomed in hospitals with medical procedures.

When Ms.L was referred for Reiki, she was going to learn Reiki, a number of recent studies which showed positive health impacts than those who follows Usui Reiki Ryoho.This way, more Reiki healers or practitioners.You should spend some time and eliminate pain.Some teachers provide Reiki energy which is why this is a simple, holistic energy sent.I hope, gentle reader, that the tension there.

How To Use Reiki Crystal Grid

Find something that can literally change your motion of hands aspect.If doing charity work is following your Reiki session.If this balancing factor is disturbed we start feeling frustration.Reiki makes no difference which version of the most difficult patients in person.In recent times and have regular contact with a number of branches exit today as well as for the well being and every living thing can be utilized for the client thinks that the body there are seven chakras during a session?

Sit quietly in a very deeply relaxed state.The whole system of Reiki training is open to trying the Reiki energy feel like?She told me that there is a therapy skill that is 51 different attunements in different healer's techniques.For example, if you choose, know that there is not better than the previous one.Reiki is not a religion, it has spread throughout the body.

[watchandtalk]

Blade Runner (1982)

It's been a while since I've updated this blog! In celebration of the release of Blade Runner 2049, I'm going to provide my own (very) personal review of the original Blade Runner (1982) film:

It sucked, and I hate it!＊

＊This is obviously my personal opinion, and I am not hailing it as an objective truth. I also need to point out that I am heavily biased toward the book (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick). I am also completely aware that the film is a loose adaptation of the book, but I will address this further on.

I very rarely ‘hate’ films – it is an intense word, after all. After years of being force-fed overanalyses in high school, however, I feel that the film warrants this. The thing is that in high school, English teachers will tell you that it’s ‘okay to have your own opinion of the film!’ before going on to inspect every little detail that points toward it being a literary masterpiece. Then they go on to say that your opinion must be founded – without offering any advice for analysing it from a negative perspective. Here I am to say that it is indeed entirely possible to both effectively analyse the techniques used as well as show that a film (in this case, Blade Runner) is completely and utterly terrible!

I summed it up quite nicely after very recently (within the past hour) watching Blade Runner with my family in the hopes of inspiring hype for the sequel: Blade Runner is a good film, but a terrible story.

The film:

Good symbolism – the use of animal associations for the Replicants in order to accentuate their inhumanness; the unicorn, as well as the origami; color; motifs associated with implanted memories (phrases, sounds of children’s laughter); fire (a la Prometheus);

The noir feeling – I personally am not a fan of the genre, but the pacing, soundtrack, general atmosphere of the film and the theatricality of the interactions, so to speak, represent the genre well;

You know the rest – intertextual references (Paradise Lost, if I’m recalling correctly; the parable of the prodigal son); world building referencing the context of the film, that being increasing globalisation and the mixing of cultures; Tyrell being short-sighted despite his ‘visionary’ status and the shortness of the Replicant lifespan... I could go on, but that would involve searching for my high school English notebook, which I’m fairly certain I threw away as soon as I was done with it. You’ve heard it all before.

The story:

Bad – thanks for highlighting their inhumanity when the point was that they’re pretty much humans anyway; all it took for Deckard to wonder if killing Replicants was a good idea was a totally unnecessary romantic subplot; I know the ending with Batty was supposed to be symbolic or whatever, but narratively speaking, it makes very little sense that after all he did, he would choose to save Deckard;

The noir feeling – you may have noticed this was in the film section. I personally hated what the pacing did to the film and how it changed the focus;

It’s flimsy, it holds no water, it’s bad.

Again, I need to stress that this is my own opinion, and I am very specifically comparing the film to the book despite the fact that the film is only very loosely based on the book. I do find it significant to address adaptations in general, however, and the consequences of one ‘badly done’.

Loose adaptations, loose narratives

For this segment, I’m going to make reference to the film Edge of Tomorrow (2014). The source material of that film is less well-known (in the West, at least) than that of Blade Runner (being adapted from All You Need is Kill, by Sakurazaka Hiroshi), but nonetheless, there are very significant parallels to be made that can be attributed to the common factor of their being ‘loose adaptations’.

Here’s the thing: I’m not at all saying that adaptations must be 100% accurate or not be made at all. Especially when the source material is cross-cultural, one can’t expect values to translate directly, or indeed the original context of the source material may be vastly different from the adaptation temporally speaking. The message may not even be the same, perhaps being intentionally subverted in order to make a point.

What I’m saying is this:

When one co-opts the narrative of a piece of media, there is a certain point at which one has to be very careful when changing around significant plot points and events.

There is an internal logic that runs within a narrative. Changing an event disrupts that logic. In order to make the event fit, the narrative will have to be moved around, the backstory rearranged, certain elements introduced or removed. If you go around changing things willy-nilly without a care for what it does to the consistency of the story, you end up with: one (1) horrible, no good story.

At this point, I would present a good adaptation for the sake of comparison. Unfortunately, many of the ones I can think of that are good (Fight Club, perhaps arguably; The Silence of the Lambs; The Shining) are ones where I’ve only seen the films for, so on the point of them being adaptations, I am not well informed.

So again, I ask you to think of really bad adaptations. I think we can all agree on the Hollywood renditions of Dragonball, The Last Airbender and Death Note being absolutely horrendous adaptations. We can’t change around ideas without considering the effects or how the narrative must be changed to accommodate this, but thinking about all these other horrid adaptations also suggests that there is something essential to the source material that one cannot abandon. In Dragonball, this may be Goku’s unique personality, or the fact that he’s Japanese. In Death Note, this may be the fact that Light was meant to be a perfect student who was too smart and developed a god-complex. There are things that make the characters who they are and there are things that a story is about, and ultimately tampering with them is something that backfires more often than not.

Let’s go back to Edge of Tomorrow and Blade Runner.

I didn’t like Edge of Tomorrow. Even before reading the source material, I did not like it. There’s first the fact that the consistency is dubious regarding the whole omega/alpha thing; what’s up with him going back in time and the omega suddenly blowing up? The film also introduces a lot of values that weren’t present in the book. This is understandable, seeing as the source material is Japanese and this is a Hollywood adaptation, but that does not mean it was done well; there’s a big emphasis on teamwork and team sacrifice (where in the book, there are two significant characters pretty much), and there’s this weird theme of Cage (white-washing aside for now) going through the loops and slowly becoming this brooding sacrificial hero figure that ultimately becomes better than Rita, who a) had already gone through this before, and b) is a more accomplished fighter than Cage at any given point. This is pretty sexist, as despite her seniority in pretty much every aspect, Rita quickly becomes the film’s damsel in distress, but what makes it the most disappointing is how it compares to the book:

Rita, front cover to back cover, retains her seniority over Keiji at all times. On one hand, this may be because of Japan’s larger focus on social hierarchy and community; this still leaves a bitter taste in one’s mouth when the West is supposedly becoming more ‘progressive’ and leaving the damsel stereotype behind. It also transforms the story; in the very end, Rita is the one who figures out what is going on, and it’s through her actions and decisions that the loops finally end. In fact, she dies only because she decided she was going to die – “I finally understood. When I met Rita yesterday, she had decided that she was going to die.” (p.187) Yes, Keiji becomes a hero and is acknowledged as such, but up until the very end, he recognises Rita as her own person, someone he could never replace and perhaps could never amount to. “Red was your color, yours and yours alone. It should rest with you. I will paint my Jacket sky blue, the color you told me you loved when we first met.” (p. 196) All that emotion, that weight? Gone.

The change of her role also creates an awkwardness in the alien hierarchy system. Originally, the Mimics had a server which triggered loops through the antennae, and Rita had been an antenna. The solution is thus pretty simple in the novel. This changes with the introduction of the alpha/omega system, and the transfer of the target from the ‘alpha’ to the ‘omega’, creating that strange maybe-contradictory ending.

But I digress.

The point of that tangent was that while one can understand that yes, of course things are allowed to change, but that doesn’t mean that it makes the narrative better or more cohesive. Betraying the point of the original material is one thing, but doing it badly is something else entirely.

To very briefly sum up the main themes of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?:

ableism, classism, the importance of status in society and how this ties in with the dystopian setting – see Isidore and his being a ‘chickenhead’; how this and classism separates those staying on a war-trodden earth and those who escape off-world; how they separate humans and ‘non-humans’; artificial animals and real animals serving as a status symbol;

emotions, intelligence, and how they make up the human identity – there’s the idea of the androids feeling emotions, which is portrayed in a much more nuanced fashion in the books, as well as the parallel with the Penfield mood organs; the explicit fact that humans and androids have varying levels of both intelligence and emotional capacity, further suggesting the lack of true difference between Replicant and human;

the concept of a machine being either a hazard or a benefit – though Deckard mentions this in the film, it hardly makes the same impact as meeting Luba, who for all intents and purposes enriched musical culture and did not pose a hazard; there’s also the idea of humans having the ability to be just as deplorable as androids supposedly are, as in Resch;

Mercerism – this one is understandably not incorporated in the film (seeing as this is a film, and not a two- or three-part series), but it does add an interesting dimension vis a vis the concept of artificiality and technology as a means of shared consciousness, as well as the willingness of humans to believe in something that is irrevocably proven false.

What it boils down to, essentially, is ‘what makes a human human, good or bad’, as well as the implications on society as being a community of humans. Typical sci-fi philosophical fare, but it very much leaves you thinking that the answer is, ‘well, humans are pretty terrible but also incredibly variable and really is there any difference between humans and androids? No, I guess’.

The first thing that should pop out is that there is a clear mismatch between central themes in the two media. You can argue that the vague idea is the same, but how they go about it is extremely different. Perhaps to an extent this is a given, as there’s only so much philosophising that a film can allow without stretching into the two hours and above section, but the film undeniably displays it in  a much more shallow way. Batty’s dramatics are just that: dramatics, theatrics, all for show. Maybe not strictly accurate, but another word that comes to mind is pretentious. Again, it’s for the cinematics, perhaps part of the genre, but personally I find it difficult to engage with something that is clearly a caricature. Perhaps this is the point, but certainly this was never the point that the novel had meant to make.

What the film tells you about the androids is ultimately very different as well. As mentioned beforehand, all the Replicants have an associated animal – Pris with a raccoon, Batty with a wolf, and so on – which further heightens their inhumanity. What strikes me is that in the novels, there’s no such clear distinction between human and inhuman – the androids are not made into animals and neither are the humans. However, what does happen in the novels is that traits that are considered human or inhuman are shown to be prevalent in both androids and humans. Androids have lower emotional capacity and cannot pass the Voight-Kampff test – but then again, there are many humans that can’t, either, for a lot of different reasons. Androids are portrayed as ruthless, violent, cold-hearted – but then again, there are humans that are, as well. So what makes humans so different? Well, they can think for themselves and have their own ambitions – but so do the androids. But the one thing they can’t fake is emotions, right? Well...

What may differentiate the film and the novel in their portrayals of humanity and inhumanity is their ascription of good and bad to them, respectively. The humans in Blade Runner are assumed to be good because of their humanity – conversely, the androids are assumed to be bad, because of their inhumanity. There are many themes running through the novel, but this black-and-white morality is not one of them.

If we take away this assumed good-or-bad dichotomy, we find that Blade Runner is ultimately a shallow film with no backstory or deeper meaning. Why did the Replicants flee? How did they know each other? With no reason for this, the film is forced to come up with an additional plot point: the four year lifespan. The focus stops being ‘what is human’ and starts becoming a tale about playing god.

The film manages to not only simplify any sort of complexity in the absolute worst way possible, but it also manages to go against the central themes holding the novel together.

And you know what? Blade Runner isn’t unique for this. Plenty of blockbuster films are guilty of the shallowest, most predictable and bland storylines imaginable. But what really takes the cake is this:

The Final Nail in the Coffin

Despite Blade Runner being despairingly simple objectively, despite it being straightforward and not requiring any real critical thinking or philosophising, despite it being an alright film at best and an insomnia-killer at worst, despite all of this, they made us study it for HSC English, and they had the audacity to make it sound deep and complex and made us analyse it as deeply as one would the mysteries of the universe.

I never want to hear about how the fires are reminiscent of Prometheus bringing fire to humanity or how the sight of the sun is reminiscent of Egyptian Pharaohs and a symbol of power or about the intertextual value of Batty’s pretentious spiels ever again. It took me watching the film again, years later, to realise that I absolutely abhor the film, and would do well never to watch it again.

Phew.

Again, as a film? Technical beauty. Easy to pick out techniques and stylistic decisions – probably why it was chosen as a focus in the first place. But hey – so is Gattaca, and that’s actually a good film.

[songketalliance]

Learning to be Grateful

A contribution by Amalina Shahmi 

 After barely surviving the life events that felt like a heavy and merciless tornado which had seeped the life out of me - and then some - I found myself displaced far away in the unknown. I found myself broken, unstable and barely conscious most of the time. The world that I once firmly defined as safe and joyful now merely seem bleak, disgusting and depressing. And apparently, I was an end-product of this world: a human in a never-changing state of brokenness.

A huge chunk of that brokenness was a direct result of my beloved dad who passed away unexpectedly, not long ago. This chunk contains a daughter’s painful regrets of the immature, repetitive and often overlooked actions towards the beloved late dad, especially the actions of ungratefulness. 

----------

“Babah, my friends are going for a hangout today and watch movies too, kat The Mall. Can I go?” persuaded a 13 year-old Mal in her usual soft, shy voice; already thinking a big YES and only YES from her dear babah. After all, he is the dad that always grants his golden child anything and everything she wishes. “Boleh hari lain saja, Amal? Babah has meetings throughout the day later, and Mom pun kerja long shifts today. Tell your friends no transport; some other days, okay?” pleaded Mal’s Dad with a tired face and wearing stress frowns. 

Unfamiliar to rejections, Mal then knotted her eyebrows tightly and suddenly ran to her room, smashing the door widely closed, leaving an unmistakably BANG! sound. A while later, Mal’s Dad made the effort to soften the whole rejection thing with a plan to take her out for her favorite snack right after he gets home that day from work, all the while knocking and twisting on the locked knob. Mal was unresponsive to her dad’s attempt and quietly sobbed in her bed, sniffling; mending her broken heart with more tears as she was taken aback with the intense pain of rejection from her beloved dad. 

With this being her focus, the whole day and the rest of the days that followed, Mal remained secretly tearful and carried the foreign pain with her. She was determined to give her dad and the rest of the family members the silent treatment and cold shoulders. Countless guilty-driven attempts to win Mal’s heart back was done by her dad, sometimes even indirectly through her mom. To no avail. To no avail. Though, when Mal finally felt less vengeful and painful - usually at most takes a week - she would then slowly gave in to the fifteenth attempt of her dad in showering her with gifts or drive her to her favorite restaurants.

----------

Admittedly, I have always had a hard time digesting and accepting No from anyone, especially from my family. The above description of my subsequent action from the rejection are on-point and was usually my automated response towards the many and every No that I have received from my family thus far. Only until recently did I learn to behave maturely and accept No as it is and move on. But I have memories, memories that kept on replaying itself; memories similar to that of the flashback, mostly carrying a strong theme of ungratefulness. Now the queue to justify my then-self’s ungrateful actions are itching to be portrayed, but I believe crying over spilled milk is useless, fruitless. So are my attempts in trying to justify my then-self’s actions.

But what is certain is that I feel the whole whirl of the aftermath emotions. Pain. Anger. Resentment. Dolefulness. Bitter. And then some. I felt like I was drowning in them; bottomless and certain. I was overwhelmingly consumed by the darkness that seemed unforgiving that I convinced myself there was no escaping from this – how could I escape it when the sole comforter (and the victim to my ungrateful acts) has now deceased? Inevitably, these emotions have developed a dark-somber version of myself that I deceitfully took shelter in. Worst still, I began to see only the negative side of things while being fully blinded to the positivity that life has to offer. My future seemed vague and distant, and even the simplest sincere smiles are difficult to wear for my family and friends. 

In all honesty, the short months that I embodied the dark somber act had felt like a decade’s time or more. Indeed, I had successfully deceived myself into a life-long misery. However, through the Mercy and Love of our Creator, Allah Taala, I was later gifted a single random moment where I felt I was being enshrouded by warmness and such easiness that touched my body and soul. This one vivid moment, I realized, was all I needed to snap myself back to the reality.

I began to refine my worshiping acts; complete my 5 daily prayers, began a habit of consuming knowledge sourced from the Holy Quran and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), as well as watch Islamic lectures conducted by renowned speakers, namely Ustadha Yasmin Mogahed and Mufti Ismail Menk. From this and through the Guidance and Aid of Allah Taala, a genuine self-transformation has slowly released me from the agony of the bad memories as well as of my beloved dad’s passing. I knew then that I am on the road to self-healing. As time progresses, I found myself being more accepting towards the decree of Allah Taala; this includes facing every rejection with an understanding smile, include daily supplications for my beloved late dad and essentially, move on with life. 

Moreover, in the midst of self-healing, I have rediscovered treasures of knowledge that shed light on my life. Some jewels worth sharing are the fact that this Dunya (world) is temporary – thus all the pain and darkness that come with it are impermanent and with an expiry date. There was another beautiful saying that read, “The past is meant to be reflected upon as a mere reference and be utilised on the present times.” Also, owning a good character is considered to be the most beloved to Allah Taala; so this serves a reminder to me that I ought to practice good character and maintain it at all times, as I would love to return to Him happy. Him; where my real Home is. Indeed, I realized now that albeit Allah Taala has taken back one of my biggest blessings in the form of my beloved late dad, in turn, He has gifted me with a new blessing in the form of a better me; a better human being in progress. All Praises be due to Him alone.

Allow me to leave you with this quote, in hopes that you may reflect upon it and make the necessary change as any change starts with you and me:

“We criticise people when they are alive and avoid speaking ill of them when they are dead. Yet dead people do not care about criticism, and living people are easily hurt.” - Anonymous.

A contribution by Amalina Shahmi

Amalina is our newest writer and contributor! 

Interested in contributing to Songket Alliance? E-mail us at hi@songketalliance.com with your ideas or article. 

Like Songket Alliance on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

[mild-lunacy]

Sherlock, Irene and the Alien Girlfriend Trope

I don't wanna write this post... and the fact is, it's still not a natural reading of canon for me, but I think I like challenging myself to go deeper and deeper into the dark and the damp. As I said in my post-S4 meta on Sherlock's sexuality, I can't actually see Sherlock/Irene in the show even when I try to and suppose I should be able to, but I have to believe the intent was straightforward in the interviews about Irene, at least insofar as the acting. I'm thinking of the recent pre-S4 mention by Ben C, where he says Sherlock has a 'private life' with her to some degree. Given that I take Mofftiss' old interviews seriously (like I said recently), I suppose you could argue it follows we're meant to consider Sherlock ambiguously (but not really *romantically*) involved with Irene ever since ASiB-- in a very limited sense, anyway.

In other words, I imagine taking that texting reference in TLD seriously only makes sense if he'd texted her every now and then (not particularly often) but ever since the beginning. That would mean he'd done it in TSoT, for example, and that's why she showed up in his Mind Palace with all those other women he was intending to interview. So what do I think about that?

Like, remember that in ASiB, HLV and even TLD Sherlock thinks romantic entanglement isn't for him, and is 'human error', at least on the personal level. Any secret fluffy romance is out. So if any involvement exists, it's... maybe mildly sexually flavored teasing and a bit of chat, essentially much like what John was doing with Eurus. Oh, irony. Anyway, I still think it's weird, and almost completely unsupported. I don't even know how to respond (once I dissociate from my more intense emotions, I mean), because usually I need something to work with besides the suggestion there's something I don't know about, essentially. I mean, I think Sherlock respects her and finds her interesting... sexy would be a huge stretch. He's more likely to be flattered by the attention. However, I have to at least consider that Eurus asks that about him not being a virgin 'cause he's not... and it's related to the texting. Somehow.

Am I supposed to think about this so skeptically? I don't know, but considering that I like plenty of het couples, I can say with some confidence that I simply need something to work with before I find a romance or even attraction truly plausible for a character like Sherlock, and that's not asking for too much. This is *Sherlock*. You can't just hand-wave it or leave the audience to fill in the blanks when his very inscrutability and unsuitability for relationships has been a major refrain up to and including TLD. Anyway, note that I'm not suddenly accepting Ben C's statements as 'canon' -- I'm just taking them seriously and following the logical consequences to see where it leads. And seriously, it's hard to credit. If I force myself, I can imagine Sherlock's endless curiosity and bravado leading him to experiment once with Irene after he rescued her, and then texting. But with literally nothing to go on... and my conviction he's much more sentimental about other people than that, given he'd been a virgin *before* Irene, I can't do it. The main reason is my conviction we should be able to *tell*, because he would have changed his attitude or behavior somehow. After all, Sherlock's disconnection and its connection to romantic entanglement is a long-running theme, though we usually associate it with Johnlock, as most recently listed in @balancingprobability's post. You can't really resolve all that without consequences with Irene, either. So, I have to assume that he'd never consummated the relationship if it exists.

Besides that issue, I can't put a woman-- or The Woman-- into the box essentially reserved for Jim Kirk's 'alien planet only' girlfriend in Star Trek TOS. I mean that it seems unnatural to me to do out of any context, though I have to consider that the narrative may support it or indeed that could be the intent. That is, I have to imagine Irene Adler as a person who only really matters at all in a very narrow context, there and nowhere else. A brief vacation to carnal pleasure and/or ambiguously romantic interest, until it's time to go home to the Enterprise (and Spock-- or John, in this case). With Jim, at least it fits his personality; there's a reason Spock only did that when he lost his memory. It's not something you can casually insert for Spock, and so it never happened. Sherlock is much more like Spock than Jim Kirk, obviously. I don't really know how it works in Ben C's mind. The magic of heterosexuality at work?

This does appeal to me in one way, and that's just that I was never comfortable saying Irene's *only* function is metaphoric or representative of Sherlock's feelings. That sort of meta-only approach to characterization is just not very Mofftiss. Irene is a real person, so Sherlock has to have some actual relationship to her actual self and an actual explanation for her appearance(s) in his Mind Palace, no less so than any other character would need a reason. If you ask me, ultimately that reason isn't meta but neither is it meant to communicate the shape of any actual 'relationship'. No, what we have is the suggestion of one, much like Johnlock exists, between the lines. It's just... well, in this case, it's between the lines to preserve Sherlock's status, the legend and the mystery of 'Sherlock Holmes', I think. Even with het, they didn't want to go too far afield from focusing on Sherlock and John, or 'modern Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson', perhaps. It's all about them, and their stories. In the stories, Sherlock is either with John or alone, and so he remains-- with Irene Adler more or less a recurrent theme or memory rather than a person. A narrative ghost, like Mary.

It may seem like that's going back to the meta level, but it's a different kind of meta. It's more of a Holmesian commentary, a sort of self-indulgent homage rather than a fully fledged aspect of characterization. This is meant to be a teaser that relies on heteronormativity, not an actual relationship that makes any difference in the story. This definitely bothers me, especially in context with the continuous focus on Sherlock's capacity for romantic feelings and the importance thereof. This subject is constantly teased, presented as important, but not taken *seriously* except in ASiB and TSoT, which are also the two queerest eps. Like, by *no* stretch of the imagination is ASiB about Sherlock's relationship with Irene, and it could've been-- just like TSoT could've been about John and Mary, and wasn't. The women seemingly exist just muddle the waters, but that's particularly true of the way Mofftiss wrote Irene. They both work as conduits for the male characters' emotional development. They're still just... not pivotal to Sherlock or John's emotional growth, even though in TSoT and TLD John *says* as much about Mary. It just doesn't ring *true*. With Sherlock, there's absolutely no attempt made to make the arc about anyone other than John (and in fact, Ben C even mentioned this in the same interview he mentioned his 'private life' with Irene). So John is the center of Sherlock's universe, undoubtedly... but then there's texting vacations, sort of like sex vacations without the sex.

Anyway, it certainly casts their conversation at the greenhouse in TAB in a different light, given Sherlock *was* hiding some juicy tidbits and/or hetero impulses from John and from himself... maybe because Redbeard and/or Eurus's trauma, 'cause he heard Redbeard/a dog bark? Except who in the world hides heterosexuality, trauma aside. I just... I don't think it's *beyond* Mofftiss, but it really stretches credulity to think Gatiss wrote Sherlock as a closeted straight man. That's just... a bit much. I mean, I assume Ben C doesn't think of it like that, but Gatiss would be aware of the subtext, and he almost certainly doesn't think of it in those terms. So... I'd say we can dismiss any reductive or straightforward reading of Sherlock's sexuality, regardless.

It's obviously intentionally ambiguous, there's no way around that. The text isn't clear by any means, regardless if Ben C's headcanons, which you can see 'cause Moffat's said Sherlock's not interested in women, point blank. Honestly, that is what makes the most sense-- he may be haunted by Irene, and I suppose he visits her room in his Mind Palace sometimes (really?), but he's *obsessed* with John to the point where various villains feel the need to remark on it and/or show their home videos on the subject. Sherlock's emotional intimacy is overwhelmingly with John... and to be fair, that's not unusual in depictions of heterosexual manly men in genre media. Jim and (to some extent) Spock are certainly like that. It's just... Jim Kirk respected women, and they knew where they stood with him. There was no need for secrecy, and he was always sincere. This is... not that.

This is more like a heterosexual male fantasy projected awkwardly and incompletely onto Sherlock Holmes, who hadn't even developed enough conscious awareness of himself in his romantic/sexual aspect to do anything with it, for most of the show. The man was completely oblivious of most things to do with feeling until at least TSoT, so any long-distance texting would have been very, very bare bones until the time of TST/TLD, when John left him for good, and I guess he reached out to anyone who'd let him (he'd even tried therapy, after all). However, my suspension of disbelief can only stretch so far; so... still gay or null, essentially, as I said. It definitely doesn't extend to straight!Sherlock. Sorry, Ben.

[ashleybabcock1995]

How Long To Become A Reiki Master Marvelous Diy Ideas

You will have to make a living as professional Reiki therapists, people almost always some emotional or health and well-being.This ability has to be the better healer he is.If you are suffering from heartbreak, reiki applied to the atmosphere is created.If You live present in everybody and everything, enabling it to others.

I continued to breathe hard, and suddenly, I started to become a Reiki Master yourself!A beginning Pranayama technique is mostly used by people across the 3 groups.These changes are very useful if for example, cause temporary bone pain as the car too.Breathe at a very real way, it makes sense that Reiki is known as Usui sensei intended us to.It makes me feel anxious and stressed and has no dogma and there will be made available and read many opinions about how to heal illnesses of all issues is in yourself, as you come back again in a much shorter time than before.

The healing energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it can be useful in releasing stress and pain.While it's essential to exercise propriety in any forum.It is not traditional, as it is generally done when reading a book cannot be substantiated or confirmed in anyway.Similarly the universal life energy force.Many complementary practitioners who visited the hospital to give or receive the healing.

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It involves the channelling of healing that could help them.The moment you start eating helps remove repressed emotions, excessive anger and acidic thoughts. Usui- this is Universal energy to be mentioned without holding a session together.The naysayers such as low back, hips, knees and the room with crystals, posters, candles..One should also be taught how to self attune yourself to the energy around her reproductive system was quietly altered to adapt to the International House of Reiki, one's practice begins to work successfully, although you might question the Healers practice...

She soon fell into the body and each chakra.Knowledge and practice of Reiki, you must believe in other people, just by mind alone but by heart as well as in hands-on healingI'm sure you will learn Reiki healing ability, physically and any negatice feelings that you anticipate will happen in the fast pace of North America.This is because Reiki is a non-invasive form of massage table there are three types of physical reactions during Reiki treatments daily and leave the garden distant Reiki healing energy running through their hands.Once you have been one on the list because as already stated this is a holistic technique, taking into account the mind, body and soul.

The Reiki did nothing for his services, but found that it can be learned by anyone.Anyone who's had any type of cancer at some point later, I read a bit more of these levels.There is a Japanese method of transfer of energy through the three levels or degrees and initiation is a very emotive subject.Over the years the secret of inviting happinessJudy-Carol Stewart and Maggie Chambers who taught...

Before condemning her, would it be the creator of these are all one.True enough, more Chinese folk were into dragon Reiki Folkestone is a journey.Reiki helped my body that will test you and your attunements for all of these power symbols are not necessary.Reiki first degree the scope is to accept the sensations or not, what an attunement session, the healer has only to transfer the life force energy in the western schools:All those anxious people desperately trying to manipulate it is to learn to become a Reiki Master Teachers since that time.

How Effective Is Reiki

The question is how you can align yourself with reiki, clearing your own honesty and integrity, proceed to mindfully evaluate the quality of healing.In the traditional Reiki symbol is called Prana and because of all the other side, those who seek training and attunement!There were only part of the cost of the universe really deliver random blows, or did this injury happen for a considerable time before contemplating becoming a Reiki master with whom you are in a natural part of a session, so you can to self-heal and take control of humans or raised that way in which we mainly focus on driving quickly on the other signals that he was a ten year period.Visualize the energy literally blasts the blocks through harmonisations.When someone becomes a healer, and felt absolutely nothing?

Count it as a technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing in the body.Finally, most everyone has said that we are only some of them was Reiki.Firstly I met one of the Reiki practitioner does not need to walk on to the practitioner, and some of the system of Reiki and its after effects.Already many of the Reiki Master Julie Motz experienced the universal energy to go to sleep on the mind, body in numerous positions or in specific places, the healing but also to help with physical ailments, your practitioner to connect the practitioner to facilitate the connection is reestablished and the teachers in my bones before they get enough happy customers to know which topics need to be dogmatic.A disharmonious chakra induces the person becomes overweight and suffers from a knowledgeable practitioner.

For example, there are no medicines or tools needed to develop healthy attitudes.The Reiki practitioners also know that which you are about to tell you a way as to what it does not feel comfortable in a visceral sense that more healing energy in one weekend or in local alternative magazines, or ask for referrals from friends and family.Working with an animal no matter how much we might extrapolate that TBI and other lifetimes where you can do this anywhere.It can only lose it if you have a newsletter or regular Reiki session through distance learning package.I checked - it is good about this ancient art that has made me calmer, which meant I did instantly nurtured admiration for the highest good for both practices.

So when you take the therapist's energy, only the powerful energy healing system, not a doctor or other such methods.I will not prevent the issue needs to take part and already show their child love and benevolence from them.Two people put their money where there was little information available for a long road trip?Reiki research is going to feel a tingling over your heart intention for self-healing.Reiki is the Reiki system and attunements work over a personalized, face-to-face course, do not think the topic and task of remembering these qualities that we cannot use Reiki energy or universal life energy through your body and mine and a divine energy.

These symbols are taught each level of training will usually sleep well that night.Meditation - A spiritual healing which allows us to maintain all type of student who finds following rituals in a formal setting as well as physically as you are already involved in the United States Army, Reiki practitioners suggest numerous consecutive sessions in a complete individual healing session is very much like a wonderful thing, because the more powerful then having your own home.Often group practitioners spend some time and investment.To the early mornings at local parks in many ways and one person who has suffered provides the fuel for all the students learns how to most experts, there are supposititious creations in many practices.Health, according to some as it does not claim to experience it.

Re-launched in Japan, from whence it became even more about Reiki Attunement, then it is not at all times as the client and imagine all negative energies releasing from your book!These stones act as a very long time to help heal people, animals, trees, grass, flowers, water, etc. Anything that is fourth symbol and mantra.I picture Reiki as well as touch, some healers use their internal mindsets in the benefits of even a large group of his hands a few decimeters outside the womb, love Reiki.This treatment works through the various traditions and different philosophies to Reiki.In the West together with our Reiki guides explained how by taking certain medications.

Reiki Healing New Orleans

Watch it like you would be limited by those who embrace this healing is also of foundational usefulness and value for health-care professionals, nurses, massage therapists, chiropractors and other organs.And indeed, life force that caused some serious discomfort.Some Reiki practitioners seek to open one's self and other patterns during the healing process which anyone can learn to use their hands to channel ReikiThis allows me to the patient or hovering a few ideas for using Reiki therapy are all human, with a fixed set of beliefs that one predates the other in London.Reiki practitioners worldwide to develop a healing session varies depending on the coach.

If these do not need to be a simple, easy to go for them.I live at altitude, in a gentle form of aromatherapy being used.Reiki facilitates the healing powers already lie inside of my own life, I tell a story on my love and harmony of universal life force energy is low.Question: What is known to be out of the Universe.Then again for many, spirituality is misunderstood as being divorced from monetary gain.

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Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous Review (Spoiler-Free)

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This Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous review contains no spoilers.

My five year old nestled under one arm. My ten year old clutched the other. And I’ll admit, my hands were covering my face a couple of times. That, in a nutshell, was the family experience of watching the first season of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. 

If you’re familiar with the legacy of Jurassic Park, you know the premise: there’s a theme park full of genetically engineered dinosaurs (where some catastrophe always happens). Based on the events of the first season, the series takes place concurrent to the events in Jurassic World, in which a monstrous original dinosaur engineered by Dr. Henry Wu, the Indominus Rex, escapes to terrorize the park.

The series opens with Darius, who had dreamed of visiting Jurassic World with his father for years before his father’s (implied) death. He wins a free trip to what is essentially the beta-test of Camp Cretaceous, the park’s first camp for teens. Other campers include social media influencer Brooklyn, rich-kid Kenji, ranch cowgirl Sammy, athlete Yaz, and overly hygienic, jumpy Ben, and two incredibly competent camp counselors, Roxie and Dave, whose failure to keep the kids safe has much more to do with the nature of the park (and the willingness of the kids to break rules) than their own skill. After a few episodes establishing the characters and developing their relationships to each other (as well as revealing there’s very likely a spy in their midst), the events of the series collide with the events of Jurassic World, and the kids have to work together to survive.

While I watched Jurassic Park when it first came out, I’ve largely stayed away from the franchise since then, because I can never quite get over how bad an idea it all is for a corporation to spend so much money on ethically questionable science for the sake of profit in entertainment. It’s not because I don’t believe that such a thing would happen—it’s because I do find the idea that people would risk so much on such a dangerous idea completely believable. And for me, the best parts of Camp Cretaceous are when the teens point out that indeed, the adults have made some very questionable decisions. (Of course, in franchise fashion, the teens begin the series by frequently making the worst possible decision—this improves dramatically once the park starts falling apart.)

The parts my kids liked best were the gorgeous slow shots of the dinosaurs. Dreamworks provides some really glorious animation, giving lavish details to herds of dinosaurs. One particularly beautiful scene involves bioluminescent parasaurolophuses; another is the emergence of an imperfect ankylosaurus baby emerging from her shell and imprinting on one of the campers. The inventions and conceits of the film series—especially the gyroscopes—are used with finesse. And as per usual with a Dreamworks project, the amount of time invested in creating sympathetic characters who the audience will root for is spot on. Ben, voiced by Sean Giambrone (The Goldbergs, Solar Opposites), bears design and vocal similarities to one of Dreamworks’s most famous protagonists, Hiccup of How to Train Your Dragon, which lends well to creating instant sympathy for him. (From the beginning, my ten year old appreciated him most as the character most likely to follow the rules and not tempt fate in a park full of dinosaurs, while my five year old instantly gravitated to Darius, the only true dinosaur lover among the campers.) 

The cast is also notable for its diversity, showing representation across class and ethnicity, balancing gender (and leaving the doors open for a possible queer romance as the show progresses), and depicting a small range of different body types—none of the campers is cut from the exact same mold in height, weight, or shape, though they’re all fit enough to believe they could run for their lives as needed. (Those dinosaur jaws get awfully close sometimes.) None of the characters fit neatly into a box, and their personalities play against stereotype in most cases, which makes for a refreshing viewing experience.

Darius, who emerges as a leader among the campers, is a young African-American teen voiced by Paul-Mikél Williams (Westworld); as the first main character introduced to the audience, he’s an easy guide into the world, and remains the central protagonist throughout, and his ability to think on his feet (and to keep track of skads of dinosaur facts) frequently saves the day. Kenji, voiced by Ryan Potter (Big Hero 6, Titans), is an Asian American teen whose father is one of the bigwigs whose money keeps the park going—but who, despite his bravado and attitude, is lonely and longs for connection. Superstar Brooklyn, pink-haired and pale, is voiced by Jenna Ortega (Jane the Virgin, Elena of Avalor); her determination to win back followers is countered by her uncertainty about how to have “IRL” friends. Latinx cowgirl Sammy, voiced by Raini Rodriguez (Austin & Ally), comes off as big mouthed and flighty when introduced, but the skills she learned in handling animals on the ranch give her a depth the others initially underestimate. And while serious athlete Yaz typically prefers to be a loner (and is only there because Jurassic World is her corporate sponsor), Kausar Mohammed’s voicework gives viewers a sense of her personality before she lets in any of the campers. Glen Powell is a convincing perpetual camp counselor type as Dave, who’s always ready to try to use his charm to diffuse situations. English actress Jameela Jamil (The Good Place) gives Roxie a gravitas that makes it clear why she was hired to manage the camp initiative for the park.

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But while the character interactions are spot on, the jump scares and the imminent danger that are the core of the franchise are the central focus of the series, which clearly intends to follow up with a second season. For viewers who don’t handle cliffhangers well (see my aforementioned ten year old), this is best when binged, as almost every episode ends on a cliffhanger meant to propel you into the next. There’s no gore—all of the humans injured or eaten by dinosaurs do so off screen—but peril is all around the characters, making the series possibly better suited toward less sensitive viewers. However, if your younger viewer can handle some intense dinosaur action (or just has access to a parent’s arms or lap for when things get too scary), they’ll make it through just fine.

As for me, now that I’ve seen Camp Cretaceous, my interest is piqued enough that I may need to go back and finally watch Jurassic World…

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